IKnowFood, one of the projects in the Global Food Security’s Resilience of the UK Food System in a Global Context programme has helped to shape the Co-op’s new Future of Food ambition.
Launched on 27 September during 2018 Recycle Week and British Food Fortnight, the Future of Food report outlines the Co-op’s approach to food systems resilience, detailing the Group’s further recycling and sustainability commitments. Aligned to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, the targets include halving food waste and increasing responsible sourcing in the run up to 2030.
For the IKnowFood team, led by Professor Bob Doherty of the University of York, the launch was the culmination of a more than a year’s work. Approached by the Co-op’s Food Policy team to advise on the plan, Prof Doherty collaborated with Mark Barthel, sustainability specialist at 3Keel, to lead a series of round tables around production, consumption and the supply chain. The wider IKnowFood team worked with stakeholders such as NGOs and suppliers to identify food system challenges such as ethical sourcing, fair trade and high-risk commodities. “We also led workshops with internal staff working in the system food system,” says Prof Doherty. “These examined themes such as food security, with an aim of better understanding the Co-op’s role within the food system and how the Group can operate in a more joined up way.”
With the Future of Food committing to specific targets set in the run-up to 2030 – such as removing all single-use plastics in Co-op branded packaging by 2023, designing Coop products with quality, sustainability and health at front of mind and ensuring a fair deal and resilient livelihoods for everyone in the Co-op supply chain– IKnowFood will continue to work with the Group’s Food Policy team to create a roadmap for success. Prof Doherty sees the fact that the Co-op has taken a food systems approach as a positive step. “The Future of Food plan sees Co-op putting the resilience of the food system at the heart of its strategy,” he says. “Furthermore, the fact that that academics have been involved in shaping the Group’s strategy is really encouraging.”
Cathryn Higgs, Head of Food Policy at Co-op said: “We’re extremely proud of our Future of Food ambition, it truly is our recipe for sustainability. Collaboration is at the heart of the ambition and is fundamental to how we work. We know that no one retailer can know the answer to all the global challenges we face, that’s why working with Prof Doherty and Mark Barthel has been an invaluable part of the process and we look forward to continuing our partnership as we start work on our vision for a safe, healthy, sustainable food future.”
IKnowFood is a four-year project led by Professor Bob Doherty with collaborators from across the University of York and the Universities of Liverpool and Manchester. It is one of the ten projects funded through the Global Food Security’s Resilience of the UK Food System Programme with support from BBSRC, ESRC, NERC and Scottish Government.
Find out more:
iknowfood: Integrating knowledge for food systems resilience
Co-op: The Future of Food
ENDS