Sustain: The alliance for better food and farming

This past year has been challenging for many, with such a large number of fellow citizens struggling to afford the costs of food, let alone a healthy diet. In this context, our campaigns have been working hard. Our annual report breaks it down 🔽 https://buff.ly/3ZZaWDg

Happy holidays from all of us at Sustain! Our offices will be closed from 25 December to 1 January 2025. See you on the other side!

Panning for January? Make sure you catch Sustain at the Oxford Real Farming Conference! 9-10 Jan 2025! ▶️ Find out what sessions we are organising and contributing to, including a Q&A with DEFRA and a networking event for new entrants and young people.

The Food Issues Census is now OPEN for responses 💫 The Census will provide a collective tool for understanding UK civil society’s work on food & farming, including who’s working on what and what the key needs and challenges for the sector are. Crucially, this is an opportunity to share your priorities with funders and shape the landscape of funding for food and farming. ✏️Find out more and take part here: https://buff.ly/3ZuMfgz

📣 Obesity Action Scotland and partners are leading action to push high fat, sugar and salt (HFSS) food sponsorship out of sporting events in Scotland. Evidence from Sustain: The alliance for better food and farming; highlights that 90% of parents said the marketing of junk food through sport made it harder for them to feed their children a healthier diet food. Allowing HFSS product sponsorship in sporting events in Scotland undermines efforts to achieve healthy weight.  With the Glasgow Commonwealth Games in 2026 fast approaching, we urge you to sign on and support the call to offer a healthy event here:  🔗https://lnkd.in/edJRHb5v The key asks of our petition include:  1️⃣ Ensure sporting events in Scotland are free from sponsorship by high fat, sugar and salt food companies.  2️⃣ Adopt a child-rights approach to restrict HFSS food advertising and marketing within and around sports venues.   3️⃣ Promote affordable, sustainable and healthy food options at and near sporting venues.   4️⃣ Free media promotions of sporting events from HFSS food advertising.   5️⃣ Ensure sports persons do not endorse HFSS food brands.   

Call to fix free school meal enrolment as part of Children's Wellbeing Bill. ▶️ Sustain joins councils, food, poverty and children's organisations asking Government to make it easier for eligible children and families to take up their right to free school meals. ▶️ Sustain's Director of Policy and Advocacy Glen Tarman said: “Sustain backs the call to the government to put in place a national auto-enrolment system for Free School Meals, building on the pioneering work of councils with local pilots, which have demonstrated both the need and impact for such measures. The Children’s Wellbeing Bill, with its aim to ensure that every child has a fulfilling childhood, enabling them to succeed and thrive, should be brought forward with such a provision. This way Parliament can make sure children are accessing the nutritious meals they are entitled to without the barriers a huge number of families currently face which deny them that, and while giving them the freedom to opt out if they wish.” ▶️ See link in comments for more on this story with responses from Myles Bremner Bremner & Co The Food Foundation Shona Goudie Barbara Crowther FixOurFood photo credit: Monkey Business Images | Shutterstock

Chief Medical Officer calls for levy on unhealthy food in report to Government. ▶️ The annual report from Chief Medical Officer for England, Sir Chris Whitty, has backed the introduction of an industry levy on unhealthy food to address and food-related ill health including rising obesity rates among children. https://buff.ly/4gbTyRo

We're really looking forward to this tomorrow! Make sure you sign up to this webinar from the The Food Foundation for a 30 min snap analysis of the year in food policy, featuring our lovely CEO Kath Dalmeny! ⬇️

We're hiring! Our climate team are looking for a Research & Campaigns Intern - is that you? Deadline Jan 5 https://buff.ly/3BfysCB

🙌🏼 SHAPE THE FUTURE OF FUNDING FOR FOOD & FARMING 🙌🏼 The third Food Issues Census has launched 💫 This is an opportunity for organisations working & organising in food & farming to share your priorities & challenges with UK funders. ✏️ Find out more & take part: https://buff.ly/3ZuMfgz