The Good Food for Festivals Guide (free download)

Festivals and other events offer a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the best of fresh, delicious and sustainable food.

We understand that while many festivals are keen to improve their ethical credentials, tackling the food being served can be daunting - hence this Good Food for Festivals Guide, published by Sustain in partnership with A Greener Festival. The guide provides practical advice to festival organisers within the UK and internationally on how to implement positive changes. 

By adopting the simple, affordable and effective actions outlined in this guide, many of which are already being taken by some forward-thinking festival organisers, your event can play a part in improving the health and well-being of visitors, the livelihoods of farmers and producers, the welfare of farm animals, the conservation of precious wildlife and fish stocks, and the long-term sustainability of our food system.

"An ever-growing number of festivals in the United Kingdom and around the world have been at the forefront of promoting sustainability, whether by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, minimising waste, reducing their event's environmental impact or championing positive behaviour such as recycling. With often large numbers of people using shared catering, festivals provide an interesting and enjoyable space to engage with the audience and promote food sustainability. A Greener Festival has identified food sustainability as a priority for 2012 and we are actively looking for better and healthier food at festivals, and to support sustainable farming. This clear and relevant set of guidelines is a real and important step forward and will be a massive help to festival organisers and others involved with live events." Ben Challis, Co-founder, A Greener Festival                             

The organisers of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games have taken a pioneering approach by committing to serve sustainable food for the 14 million meals served at the Games. Inspired by this, event organisers such as the Greater London Authority and Thames Festival have already committed to adopt these same food and catering standards in their work. Building on the response to the London 2012 Food Vision, the Food Legacy programme has been established to encourage other caterers and event organisers to join in.

The Good Food for Festivals Guide, and the Good Food Guide for Festival and Street-food Caterers have been jointly produced by two Sustain projects – ‘Ethical Eats’ and ‘Food Legacy, inspired by the London 2012 Food Vision’ – in partnership with A Greener Festival. The guides provide practical advice to festival organisers, and mobile caterers, on how to implement positive changes to their food and drink. The guides are free to download at: www.ethicaleats.org