Celebrating where the food you serve comes from

As well as celebrating your hard work, it is important to diners to know where the food they are eating comes from. The Bidfood’s UK include regional provenance as one of the top factors that consumers will pay attention to, with 76% saying dishes with provenance listed are appealing.

What does best practice look like?

Procurement & suppliers to be proud of:

• Talk to your suppliers and build a positive relationship. Ask them about their values and policies. Can they identify the source of the food they sell to you? Can they help you connect with the producers of your ingredients?
• Think about the primary producers and farmers rather than the supplier location – choose local where you can. This provides a boost to the local economy and gives you a great platform for marketing and storytelling.
• Re-evaluate your supply chain when you have chance. Think about using different ingredients and swapping things around to embrace seasonality and locally grown produce.
• Think about what you want from a supplier when you write a tender and ensure you get best value and a means of getting the information you require.

Communicating the value of the food you serve:

• Look for opportunities to tell a story about your food. Get creative where you can and assess what works best for you. Ideas include:
  • Descriptors on menu’s – pinpoint the farm if you can – e.g. ‘using eggs from Home Farm in Leeds’
  • Having a blackboard or notice board to show information and changing it regularly
  • Have information on tables with postcards or table talkers
  • Have a QR code linked to a web page with information on suppliers and produce
  • Produce a map showing which produce you purchase locally and regionally
• Consider the way you talk about your menus. Highlight where you’ve taken a decision to move to a local product and what the impact of that is on the producers.
• Ensure your staff are well informed and are enthusiastic about the food that’s served. Could they answer a question if asked?

All this can take time to action, so start small and build up to where you want to be.

As you sustainable catering partners, we are on hand to support you on this every step of the way and can help with supply chain and marketing advice.

We have lots of resources available including templates of maps, information sheets as well as examples and advice. Please just reach out to one of the team to find out more: sustainablecatering@foodforlife.org