Image courtesy: ©Guy Harrop
Sustainability
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Sustainability is a multi-layered opportunity for meaningful change. It can be personal, local, national, multinational and global, says James Day, Director of Operations for ICSA, and Food Ambassador for ‘Love British Food’.
For ICSA cookery school members, signing up for membership means sharing these core values. “Our core values are a base from which to grow. The climate change lobby tell us that we have just 20 years to change our habits and live sustainably – or see the consequences of global warming destroy our planet,” says James. He believes passionately in the power of individuals to drive change. “Our personal responsibility may extend to shopping and living sustainably. We can see the power of customer demand changing the way we live in simple things such as the reduction of plastic bags and packaging. Wonky vegetables instead of being thrown away, are being sold cheaply at supermarkets and a nationwide collection of waste food, still fresh, given away to feed the homeless or passed on to food banks,” he says. ICSA and our members have been leading the way in teaching by example that a sustainable food culture is an essential ingredient in the hospitality and catering industry. By showing students how to use core values of sustainability they pass on these values directly to tens of thousands of cooks – and they, in turn, will spread the message. Sustainability is for life. ICSA member Leith’s School of Food and Wine is developing increasingly sustainable practices in all areas of its business. The West London school has taken a range of steps to ensure food waste is minimised.
