Brighton & Hove City Council Good Food Standards

Brighton & Hove City Council has made a commitment to work towards a healthier, more sustainable food system; one which reduces food poverty, supports local food businesses and reduces the environmental impact of the way in which we produce, consume and dispose of our food.

In November 2020, Brighton & Hove became the first UK location to receive the prestigious Gold Sustainable Food Place Award recognising pioneering work around good food.

The council recognise its responsibility to carry out its procurement activities in an environmentally and socially responsible manner; and is a key partner in helping Brighton and Hove become a healthier city and a Gold Sustainable Food City.

The council is committed to:

• ensuring public food and catering procurement meets the government’s Buying Standards
• delivering and meeting its commitments made in the city-wide food strategy “Brighton & Hove Food Strategy Action Plan – 2018 to 2023” which sets out how the city is working:
  • towards a healthier more sustainable food system
  • to reduce food poverty
  • to support local food businesses
  • to reduce the environmental impact of the way in which we produce, consume and dispose of our food

The Brighton & Hove City Council Good Food Standards (“The Standards”) are the council’s standards for purchasing food and catering services. They supersede the Brighton & Hove City Council Minimum Buying Standards for Catering Contracts which were formally adopted in 2014.

The Standards are set out in Appendix A and are based on the Soil Association Food For Life Served Here Silver Standards

They are to be applied appropriately to all future food/catering contracts and concessions depending on the size, type and nature of the food or catering contract or arrangement.

Food Suppliers and caterers securing contracts with the council must be able to demonstrate they meet The Standards.

The Standards:

• support the provision of healthy and sustainable food.
• require a proportion of ingredients to be from environmentally friendly and ethical systems, for example, Fair Trade.
• award caterers points for sourcing local produce, produce from the local region and from the UK.
• award caterers points for taking steps to make healthy eating easier for customers, such as by reducing salt and sugar, introducing pulses and vegetables to menus and using wholegrain ingredients

Further information can be found in the Silver Accreditation Guidance Document.

The Standards:

• support improvements to the nutritional value of food provided in our public buildings, through our facilities, on our land and via our providers - supporting a reduction in the rise of excess weight in children and adults and a reduction in the environmental impact of our food and catering
• Support national guidance from Public Health England (2017) which aims for every public sector setting, from leisure centres and hospitals, to public open spaces, to have a food environment designed so that the easy choices are also the healthy ones
• Support the government’s Childhood Obesity Action Plan (incl. Chapter 2) which recognises the food and drink children consume needs to be healthier and, for many children, less calorific.
• will help meet Brighton & Hove City Council’s Corporate Plan commitments of embedding health in all policies to improve physical and mental health and wellbeing, reducing inequalities and the demand for acute services; improving our environment and ensuring people enjoy cleaner streets; and tackling food poverty.
• contributes to key parts of Brighton & Hove's commitment of becoming carbon neutral by 2030 ensuring everyone has access to healthy, ethical and sustainablyproduced food, and reducing health inequalities
• contributes to the Brighton & Hove Circular economy routemap which encourages:
  • circular food systems
  • promotes local food production
  • supports reduction in food waste
  • working with local organisations engaged with local redistribution of surplus food

The Standards were developed and agreed collaboratively by relevant council teams and services that contribute to, or impact, food and catering offered in the city and the B&H Food Partnership.

There are some key considerations to consider when applying The Standards to a procurement process involving food or catering.

The approach will depend on the nature and value of the contract, concession, consent, or arrangement, following one of the three (3) routes listed below. All future food and catering procurement shall adhere to The Standards.

1. Catering contracts (including concessions) with a total contract value of £75,000 or above shall be accredited with Soil Association Food for Life Served Here at minimum of Silver.

If a contractor does not have this award but can demonstrate that their offer meets the Brighton & Hove City Council Good Food Standards, the contractor must attain the award within the first twelve months of the contract.

For catering contracts with a total contract term of 2 years or less, the contractor must attain the award within the first 6 months of the contract.

In addition, the contractor must:

• attain a Healthy Choice Award where the catering or food supply contract is for council commissioned canteens
• demonstrate it is taking action as a food business to support Brighton and Hove being a GOLD Sustainable Food City.

2. Food supply contracts with a total contract value of £75,000 or above shall be accredited with the Soil Association Food for Life Supplier scheme.
If a contractor does not have this accreditation but can demonstrate that their offer meets the Brighton & Hove City Council Good Food Standards, the contractor must attain the award within the first twelve months of the contract.
For supply contracts with a total contract term of 2 years or less, the contractor must attain the award within the first 6 months of the contract.

In addition, the contractor must:

• attain a Healthy Choice Award where the catering / food supply contract is for council commissioned canteens.
• demonstrate it is taking action as a food business to support Brighton and Hove being a GOLD Sustainable Food City.

3. Food and Catering Contracts (including concessions) with a total contract value of below £75,000, are to be procured (and scored) to The Standards but accreditation with the Soil Association will not be required.

However, Caterers and Food Suppliers must be able to demonstrate they support the principles of these standards.

In addition, the contractor must:

• attain a Healthy Choice Award where the catering / food supply contract is for care homes, nurseries and breakfast clubs.
• demonstrate it is taking action as a food business to support Brighton and Hove being a GOLD Sustainable Food City.
• attain at least one of the following awards:
  • a) Sustainable Restaurant Association
  • b) Green Kitchen Standard

4. The Brighton & Hove City Council Good Food Standards are to be included within marketing particulars for new lettings within the commercial and seafront property portfolios and the level of proposed compliance by potential tenants considered as part of the evaluation criteria.  In addition, new tenants will be offered a consultation with the council’s Healthy Food Project Officer to provide support, advice, and guidance on compliance with the policy. 

5. Street sellers under a Highways Licence -Takeaway food traded on our streets, and at events (mobile traders) is not subject to a procurement process. However, event / festival organisers, and street food sellers operating under a Highways Licence shall sign and return the Sustainable Commitment Form (Appendix B), promising to take the appropriate steps to promote health and sustainability, inspired by BHCC’s Good Food Standards. The aim is to help improve the health of the customers we serve and to support a more ethical and sustainable food system.

6. For routes 1 and 3 , caterers are to:

• cook and serve more vegetables and encourage more vegetable consumption
• actively help to reduce sugar and salt consumption
• Follow the food waste hierarchy which is 1) reduce, 2) redistribute/repurpose, 3) recycle. - to help tackle food and packaging waste
• reduce Food Waste (Brighton & Hove City Council Circular Economy road map) by carrying out food waste audits, change menus and ordering to reduce food waste
• provide options that consider the sustainability and cultural diversity impact
• use and promote the uptake of drinking water through their own communication or a national re-fill scheme
• not to sell any single use plastic bottles and to reduce the use of all plastic packaging. Single use plastic plates, cutlery and packaging is to be replaced with a sustainable alternative.
• Be a living wage employer and pay their staff at least the UK or “Real” Living Wage during the contract term. For the avoidance of doubt this is currently £9.30 per hour outside London
• support local food suppliers and use locally sourced produce, where possible

All food businesses must have:

• a robust allergen system in place compliant with The Food Information Regulations 2014. For more information, please go to the Food standards Agency website
• a Food Hygiene Ratings Scheme (FHRS) Data Food hygiene rating of at least 3 out of 5

Monitoring Catering contracts (including concessions) over the lifetime of the contract to ensure:

• Soil Association Food for Life Served Here Accreditations are maintained by caterers and food suppliers where there is a contractual need for them to do so
• contractors attain the Soil Association Food for Life Served Here Accreditations award within the first 12 months of the contract where there is a contractual need for them to do so
• caterers and food suppliers demonstrate continued support for the principles of the Good Food Standards as part of pathway 3
• Healthy Choice Award Accreditations are attained and maintained where the catering or food supply contract is for council commissioned canteens
• caterers and food suppliers are acting as a food business to support Brighton & Hove being a GOLD Sustainable Food City
• feedback is to be obtained from caterers and food suppliers as part of contract monitoring on how the current service provision could be improved to minimise the negative environmental impact and what specific measures are or will be taken to realise these improvements

Brighton & Hove City Council Contract Manager shall liaise with Brighton & Hove City Council Healthy Food Officer to confirm compliance of the Good Food standards.

Find more information on the Food for Life website.

Additional criteria (outside the Soil Association Food For Life Served Here) have been included for fair trade, health and waste, as these fit with council policy/priorities.