Better Taste, Less Waste?
1st March 2016
Food is fundamental to human life and is therefore a key consideration for any event professional. Previously, the main emphasis for most festival caterers has been to supply a relatively cheap and convenient product, therefore maximising their profits in a captive market. However, consumer trends are changing. Healthy eating is on the rise and now customers have a greater expectation for caterers to be more transparent about their food providence.
This then poses the question; do you actually know where your food comes from?
Does it bother you?
Should it bother you?
Ghastly Greenhouse Gases
Carbon footprint and greenhouse gases are a pressing concern for society. Take a look at the statistic below. It was published by Powerful Thinking in their ‘Environmental Impact report’:
“The impacts of the food supply chain are significant, with some research suggesting livestock and their by-products alone contribute between 18% and 50% of all global greenhouse gases”.
How does this make you feel?
Research shows that production of meat plays a main role in the cause of environmental damage. The Guardian published an article which stated that;
“to produce 1kg of meat requires between 5,000 and 20,000 litres of water and 160 times more land”.
These statistics have generated concern within society; subsequently the UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme) has controversially suggested consumers consider adopting a meat free diet.
An example of positive action of this in the UK is the Shambala Festival, Nottingham where organisers have embedded a meat free policy for their 2016 festival. Shambala argue this is a positive step for sustainability.
How far would you travel for dinner?
You may think that you travelled a long way to get to a festival, but that can be nothing compared to how far your food came. In fact, it can have travelled thousands of miles! This unfortunately leads to more pollution, which in turn has an impact on climate. In fact, the NRDC (Natural Resources Defence Council) found;
“in 2005, the import of fruits, nuts and vegetables into California by airplane released more than 70,000 tons of CO2, which is equivalent to more than 12,000 cars on the road”.
The use of small-scale local farms and using seasonal ingredients are popular solutions to aid the reduction of food miles. But how do events actually implement this? Australian festival; Peats Ridge Sustainable Arts and Music Festival decided that bicycles were the only mode of transport onsite to move food and equipment. Not only does this support the environment, they also contribute greatly to the local economy. Adopting these kinds of measures will improve an events ecological reputation.
A win for local economy and a win for sustainability.
Could this motivate event managers and caterers to source local foods to avoid a further increase in pollution and is the reduction of food miles the only available solution?
Ethical Eating
Both organic and Fairtrade fall into the category of alternative trade initiatives however, their journey hasn’t been easy due to their battle with conventional agriculture. Fairtrade are all about environmentally sustainable production and to achieve this, they have specific green standards. In order to become more environmentally friendly, Fairtrade are eager to convert wholly to organic production. This can prove costlier to farmers which hinders the progress. Yet, moving across to organic production allows farmers to receive a higher price for their produce. Lastly, the Guardian found that in 2014, organic sales had risen by 2.2%. Looks like the public are catching on after all.
Choosing to eat local foods, well what’s in it for you?
Local food is less processed, travels less time in transit and retains more of its nutrients. It is undoubtedly fresher and arguably tastes better. The production of home-grown food usually has less sodium and sugar content as it passes through less stages than conventional food which makes it a healthier option. Well isn’t that fantastic news?
By eating local food, the community can reap the benefits. The purchasing of local produce supports farmers which aids in their sales revenue and generates a sense of community spirit. The creation of job opportunities and gaining transferable skills through training can spur local economic development.
The topic of locally sourced food is becoming a wider theme for debate. Presenting the question: how serious is the damage conventional agriculture is causing? Pesticides, land degradation, animal welfare, weakening resources and climate change are issues conventional farming is causing. Surely if this much destruction is being caused, event organisers should embrace sustainability. But is it ethically correct to change the way companies are currently working?
Should elements of sustainability become compulsory for event managers? Academics indicate that “food and beverages can play a vital role in delivering green themes or messages at events, but may be overlooked in favour of more visible elements, such as waste management or recycling”. Should this encourage event professionals to rethink the economics of better taste and less waste?
Will these environmentally harming food trends ever fade out, or is there still hope for the world yet?
Photo sources: Google Images, Pixabay.com, De.wikapedia. org, Flickr and Wikipedia
I think event managers have a responsibility to better price locally sourced food, to encourage attendees to go local. When I’m at an event, I want to eat cheap, organic food is usually highly priced.
Hi Billy,
Thank you for your comment. You have made a very valid point and although the price of organic food will not decrease as soon as we would like; it does reflect the production of the produce. Maybe consumers could start to incorporate one organic/locally sourced meal at festivals?
You’ve made some really good points. Shambala festival is a good example of how event managers have nailed sustainability by helping loca economy. However, they have a specific target audience who are likely to have an interest in their foods background and their local economy, so it’s more difficult for this to be applied to every event manager?
For example, Reading festival, majority of the festival are under 25, and arguably don’t worry too much about where the food they’re getting is from and just want to be fed. Do you think this is something that be eventually change in the future?
Hi Abbie,
Thank you for your comment. I totally agree with your point with regards to target audiences and how it is difficult for all event managers to implement this. However, if event professionals start by adapting just one aspect of sustainable eating then slowly locally sourced food and agriculture could be on the rise.
An eye opening article. However I think change must come from the customer as well as the event organisers. How do you think you could educate the festival goers to choose quality over affordability?
Hi Sue,
Thank you for your comment and interesting point. I do agree that the consumer needs to have the motivation to change the foods they eat and where they purchase them from. I think event organisers could emphasise the benefits of locally sourced food such as; less chemicals (if any), healthier, greater animal welfare and of course it is tastiness. I feel eventually these benefits will change the way consumers think about their food.
Fabulous article! Will be taking it on board and applying to day to day life! Well done
Hi Katy,
Thank you for your comment and kind words. I am thrilled this has supported your decision to take this onboard within your daily life.
A well thought out article, but price is a big factor here.
After paying to attend a festival/event will the punters want to pay for premium locally produced food when meat can be shipped from the other side of the world and still be cheaper!
Hi Ian,
Thank you for your comment. I totally agree that price plays a large factor and I think this will take a long time to change as conventional agriculture is still prominent. However, I hope consumers will slowly want to pay for quality tasting food.
This is an interesting article. I think offering delegates and event attendees more informed choices on where their food has come from and giving a wider choice of more interesting vegetarian and special diet options is great and can set venues apart from the competition. Locally sourced produce is a strong USP and gives a venue a real personality by supporting local producers and suppliers. Alas, as previously mentioned, customers want all this but are often reluctant to pay more for it.
Hi Sam,
Thank you for your comment and thoughtful words. I think by offering delegates the option to know where their food came from will aid in the promotion of local produce and provide them with new information. I agree that local produce can become a USP for a venue and will provide the venue with a greater reputation within the community. Price is a reoccurring issue and is something that event professionals need to address in the near future to make sustainable food more attainable.
You’ve raised an interesting debate. I agree that being more ethical and sustainable provides a better lifestyle and eventual future compared to how we are living today.
However, festivals have to consider providing for all attendees and sadly mass produced food is more economically viable, which in turn ignores the status of health for consumers and the business of local farmers. Do you think that large scale festivals will be able to agree on a better way to cater for the masses whilst also providing a reasonable, if not profitable, outcome for local businesses?
Hi Charmain,
Thank you for your comment. I am glad you agree that sustainable food is much more beneficial to our society and environment. I think the smaller festivals such as Shambala have an easier market to cater for however, in the future I think larger festivals will embrace sustainable produce with the possibility of a few stalls, which in turn will develop many benefits for consumers and local businesses. Unfortunately I believe we are a long way off from large festivals providing this although, awareness and small steps will definitely support the need for sustainable produce.
A very interesting read. But I feel the majority of festival goers are theor with friends to have fun, drink and eat whatever is the cheapest and it’s sorce is the least of their worries as long as it is cheap and cheerful. If most people going buy cheap tents to just leave (adding to landfill and more polution most of the time) they are hardly going to give a thought to how many miles their processed burger has traveled. I think the only only people who would stop and think or the older festival attenders who may be prepared to pay a premium for better food quality and standards.
Hi Sammy,
Thank you for your comment. The issue of price is reoccurring and unfortunately has not yet been addressed by event professionals. This is mainly due to the cost of organic farming reflecting their produce. However, I think the growth of the health conscious trend will aid in the promotion of local/organic foods over time alongside the older attendees.
In essence this relates to our behavioural patterns. The only real reason people have the cheapest, least nutritious food is because that is what is in front of them and other options are incredibly limited. I also believe that a lot of the “healthy” food is far too overpriced. Probably because it hasn’t been locally sourced. It begs the question, what WOULD happen if festivals sourced there items more locally and arranged supplier agreements that would benefit a local economy which could then go on to benefit the greater economy overall. All it would take is a bit of forethought and problem solving, but unfortunately our personal health and well being is often neglected for ease, as is the case with festivals.
Hi Joe,
Thank you for your comments. I agree this topic links to our behavioural patterns as if we are accustomed to conventional foods then we are likely to stick to that option rather than exploring. I think that if festivals adopted and embraced sustainable produce with a positive attitude at their event and emphasised its benefits then the consumer would be much more motivated to adopt a healthier environmentally friendly diet and lifestyle.
Very well written and interesting piece. It got me thinking about if there are any Government backed systems to encourage festivals to use more local produce as a source for food and drink at festivals
Hi Joe,
Thank you for your comment. That is a good point you have made. Since the horse meat scandal, the government have wanted to restore confidence within society. As far as I am aware, there are no official laws or legislation regarding sustainable foods although, there has been various strategies put in place by the government which include; Green Food Project, Rural Development Programme and the Greenhouse Gas Research and Development Programme to support and provide information for consumers. It’s a good start so far.
It’s nice to know there are Government schemes to provide information. Hopefully this will go someway towards informing individuals decisions. I can’t help but feel that some direct action and adoption of researched behavioural practices, such as “nudging” or “priming” could be used on a local and then national level to influence our decisions to make healthier choices, or choices that support our local communities. It may seem like mind control, but these techniques are readily used everyday to influence consumers. Why not use them for health and not just the greatest profit margin.
Hi Joe,
Thank you for your further comments. I believe the Government schemes will hopefully improve awareness and increase the impact society is making. I think a large amount of individuals focus entirely on the negative aspect of sustainable produce such as its higher cost rather than the positives. Therefore, providing consumers with the benefits of eating/growing/selling sustainable food would “nudge” them to make healthier decisions and influence other individuals in the near future.
As both an environmentalist and a caterer I agree wholeheartedly with the message portrayed in your insightful and well written blog. However, as alluded to in earlier comments, it would appear that on mass consumers are generally too focused on price to truly embrace a radical change towards sustainable, organic produce. That being said, it occurred to me whilst reading that the impetus should be placed on event organisers, who could provide organic traders with discounted pitch prices over the more ‘generic’ traders. This in turn would allow sustainable caterers to remain competitive on price, thus hopefully stimulating growth in this sector. Furthermore, I believe this notion of rewarding caterers for becoming sustainable could also be rolled out on a national level through tax breaks or subsidies.
Hi Thomas,
Thank you for your comment and kind words. Unfortunately within today’s society, consumers are more concerned on price however the health conscious trend is increasing due to the nutritional value in healthier produce can contribute greatly to our well-being. I strongly agree that the emphasis should be planted onto event professionals, this would enable them to influence their stakeholders, suppliers and attendees. I think the idea of an incentive to encourage suppliers to be more sustainable is absolutely great and will further promote the health food movement.
Whilst I agree about the sustainable nature of event catering, event owners also have culpability. They are the ones who charge caterers to be present at festivals and because of this caterers almost HAVE to default towards cheaper products, as they have to cover their costs and understand that customers will only pay so much…
Hi John,
Thank you for your comment. I agree that event owners overall will have the responsibility for faults/issues and there should be procedures put in place to assist event caterers. I personally think that event owners could provide discounted trade prices to caterers who adapt their food to be sustainable (organic/fairtrade). However, a common misconception is that being sustainable is more costly to event owners and caterers whereas, if they are efficient with their produce, they could in fact increase their profitability. Sustainable food doesn’t have to be expensive for caterers; seasonal food is actually cheaper than out of season ingredients, using the less attractive vegetables can save in expenses and finally, if caterers have any unwanted stock at the end of the day, there are websites such as Takestock which allow suppliers to auction their ingredients. Overall, there are many ways in which event owners can assist event caterers to become more sustainable with regards to their produce without a high price point. Although the importance of quality over price needs to be reiterated in order to further promote healthy, sustainable eating and growth.
This is a really interesting article with some good points! I agree that we are, as a generation, making healthier dietary choices but could it be argued that the healthy side of it this argument might not matter as much as… do people see events as ‘cheat days’ and want to just eat cheap and convenient junk food? Certainly, event managers should take more responsibility for ensuring that food at events is healthy and sourced appropriately. However, healthier options tend to be pricier. Maybe this is something that event managers need to look into, ways of making convenience food at events healthy and affordable? Another issue is the audience at the event, although Events like Shambala are leading the way on this topic they have a very specific audience and the people present at the festival are likely to be interested in where their food has come from etc. However at other festivals such as V Festival where there is a predominantly younger population it might be argued that this particular audience doesn’t really care where their food comes from or the process that it went through to make it onto their plate. So therefore, it is maybe something that the government need to address also, educating the population on the perils of outsourced and inorganic food as event managers could ensure that their are healthy, organic, locally sourced food at every event but if the public is not prepared to pay a premium for it because they don’t understand the benefit then maybe it could be seen as wasted effort? I think event managers do need to take on more responsibility in wasting less food and making food at events more environmentally friendly but I think there needs to also be a reflection in the government educating people as to why they should be making choices to eat this way.
Hi Laura,
Thank you for your detailed comment. I understand your point that consumers may see events as ‘cheat days’ and this is not entirely a negative however, I don’t necessarily think this is the main argument for concern. I certainly agree that event professionals should devise ways in which environmentally produce can be affordable for all consumers. To continue, target markets are a concern here as you have discussed above. Promoting sustainable food on a global level from both a governmental and health perspective could undoubtedly target and educate a wider audience with the hopes of attracting more consumers to eat sustainable. Although the journey to sustainable eating is long, I feel that every effort, event professionals do to promote and encourage this will not be wasted.