Agenda item

Concluding the review into what Southwark should be including in its food strategy. 

Draft Report.

7.1  Graham Neale – former Chair of the Vegan Society gave the sub-committee a general view of the variety of people who work for a large Council such as Southwark.  Mainly he advocated a level playing field for all when it came to catering with for all tastes.  Hinduism, Islam, Sikhism, Chinese, Rastafarianism and Judaism are some of the religions which can have very specific dietary regulations.  Most religions, for example have some strongly held views on the preparation and eating of meat.  Individuals can have intolerances to nuts, gluten and wheat.  Graham Neale felt that the only way to ensure that there was a good and accessible choice for all was to promote a vegan diet as the way forward for all. 

7.2  The sub-committee were informed that the food we give to our children has a profound effect on their health and ability to learn.  Some foods will have a negative effect on health and it is essential that schools start to understand the problems that can be attributed to certain foods.  For instance, it is understood that African children are between 70 – 90% lactose intolerant and schools need to be sensitive to the problems that may cause.  As a society we need to be looking at diet from with a world view in mind and not exclusively from any particular group.

7.3  To further illustrate this point, it was acknowledged that providing Halal meat upset more people than it satisfied: Halal meet for instance does not meet high welfare standards and therefore poses an ethical dilemma.  Therefore the most sensible way forward would be not to provide meat at all.  This would then widen the possibilities of promoting harmony between all groups, no matter what their beliefs or views may be.

7.4  If food is to be sustainable ecologically and economically then we need to take all meat off the menu.  Everyone can eat vegan food, no matter what their cultural differences and beliefs.

7.5  In closing Graham Neale wanted to the draw attention to the fact that maintaining the demand for meat had a substantially negative impact on the earth.  Most notably for example, the use of soya in cattle feed which is taken from the disappearing rainforests, contributing significantly to global warming.

Members of the sub-committee made the following recommendations:

·  There must be separate plates for meat and vegetarian food.

·  There must be clear labelling of products detailing all additives.

·  There must be the promotion of a diet that everyone can access and eat.

7.6  Members wanted to know what, if anything was being done to encourage local food production.  Simon Bevan told the sub-committee that there had been quite large developments of new homes in Southwark which were being built on high density brown field.  This meant that there was not a great deal of open space to use for anything but the provision of sustainable homes and this was now at the forefront of the thinking in planning and development.  There were no current plans or policies for promoting more open spaces around housing developments.

7.7  Members felt that under the sustainable communities act, planners and developers should start to think more seriously about integrating open spaces within new developments.  Residents could then make time for enjoying community activities such as growing vegetables amongst others.  It seemed that increasingly there is always a fight for space and Members felt very strongly that planners must start balancing the demand for homes with the needs for outside space.

7.8  Members wanted to know if it was possible to increase the current amount of allotments if space could be found.  Simon Bevan informed the sub-committee that to put allotments on to open spaces would not constitute a ‘change of use,’ however the viability of putting allotments on to publicly owned space was questionable.  Public land meant everyone would have access to it, the only way to ensuring the safety of allotments would be to invest in fences, gates and locks which would then require planning permission.

7.9  Members asked about best practice in Barking and Dagenham and Waltham Forest where both Councils had stopped fast food outlets opening close to schools.  Simon Bevan responded that Southwark were not currently following that trend because it would be very difficult to ascertain what type of food was going to be sold at these locations and so restrictions would not be possible.  It was difficult to draw a boundary between what is ‘good’ food and what is ‘bad’ and so there were no plans to follow suit.

7.10  With regard to food growing on waste or temporary vacant land, the committee were informed that there may be some development control issues.  However, if someone had decided place a number of growbags on disused land with the Council’s permission the Council would not intervene.  The Council may put growbags on its land without restrictions.  If tenants were to do the same, as long as it was Council land and there were no objections this also would be permitted.  It would be unusual for the planning department to be involved in these cases. 

7.11  Members said that they were concerned that local markets were now under threat and wanted to know if it was going to be possible for the Council to attempt to double the size of existing markets by way of compensation.  Simon Bevan said that he thought some extensions may be possible.  If the site of the market stretched along the pavement the planning department would have to be involved, if it encroached on to the road, it would be the concern of the highways department. 

7.12  Simon Bevan said that it was possible for the planning department to prevent supermarket extensions if those extensions were deemed unreasonable.

7.13  Members wanted the Council’s planning department to be more imaginative when planning and developing new dwellings and to think more about developing community gardens and open spaces to help enhance the quality of life for the communities taking up residence in new builds.

7.14  The sub-committee then heard from Ann Baker, Waste and Strategy Manger, regarding the issues of Food Waste.

7.15  Currently the Council do not collect domestic household waste for recycling.  There are logistical problems associated with this type of collection along with the difficulty of not having an ‘end market’ – a place to take the waste.  Dealing effectively with domestic waste needs a little more care than with other forms of waste.  It needs specialist equipment (high temperatures) to ensure that it is successfully and hygienically broken down.  At present, the Council encourage people to use other forms of waste processing such as wormaries.  Wormaries will compost food waste very effectively.  The Council is offering wormaries to households for a period of 6 years at a cost of £10 each.  The uptake is high with around 300 in use to date. 

7.16  In 2015 contractors will be expected to start a domestic food waste collection, assuming that an end market has been found.  If an end market can be found sooner then collections will commence as soon as possible.  It was acknowledged that Southwark doesn’t have the facilities to cope with the recycling of food waste at this present time.

7.17  To date, Southwark’s efforts with recycling have been limited to campaigns to encourage people to do more themselves.  There is a current initiative which advocates more thought regarding the quantity of food purchased and how much might go uneaten and have to be thrown away (Reduce the Waste Campaign).  Ann Baker said that people needed to be aware of and try to steer away from excessive packaging.  They need to consider whether the packaging is recyclable or ideally, whether food can be purchased without packaging at all.

7.18  ‘Veolia’ is the company who is currently contracted by the Council to collect domestic refuse and they are trying to find ways to increase the levels of recycling.  It was reported that there are difficulties recycling the different forms of domestic waste.  For instance, garden waste must be treated in a different way to food waste and at present, there isn’t the infrastructure to deal with these demands.

7.19  Members felt that Southwark might undertake some best practice work to help speed up improvements.  Members suggested Islington would be a good starting point.

7.20  Ann Baker said that there had been a scheme in operation in Lordship Lane, to encourage commercial outlets to think about recycling by offering them free collections for 3 months.  It was acknowledged that more of these types of schemes might be useful.  It was also acknowledged that Tooley Street should lead the way in waste recycling.