IT'S BEEN almost 10 years since the UK Government ran a public debate on GM food. With issues over food security, drought and a booming population intensifying, is the foodservice sector one of those asking for the technology to be given a second chance? David Burrows reports. Environmentalists are beginning to change their…
Read moreRevisiting the ethical mark debate
THIS WEEKEND'S episode of Countryfile explored the ethical mark debate. Footprint Forum debated this very topic a year ago and we thought that some of you may find it interesting to revisit the discussions to see whether we have moved on? FOOTPRINT FORUM: PREPARING FOR CHANGE IN THE ETHICAL LANDSCAPE 7th of March 2011, British Film…
Read moreNo surprise that Tesco ditches carbon label
When he launched a project to label all 70,000 products in his supermarkets portfolio, Sir Terry Leahy was undaunted by the task: Many of those people who talk about the need for a carbon currency say it is too complicated to develop; that it will take years. However, at Tesco, we believe in action, in…
Read moreTesco carbon labels come unstuck
In 2007 Tesco launched what it called a revolution in green consumption which would see all its 70,000 products go through carbon footprint analysis and receive an accompanying carbon label. Five years and 500 labels on, the project has been ditched. Reports suggested the supermarket had become frustrated by the lack of activity among…
Read moreWTTCs Tourism for Tomorrow Awards showcase initiatives leading the world in sustainability
The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) just unveiled the twelve finalists for its 2012 Tourism for Tomorrow Awards . The awards are one of the highest accolades in the global Travel & Tourism industry and recognise sustainable tourism achievements among businesses and destinations across the full spectrum of the industry. As sustainable tourism practices…
Read moreOLYMPIC SPONSORS NEED TO PULL WEIGHT
The Olympic Games in London 2012 may not meet its sustainability goals unless sponsors start taking on some of the burden. According to reports in the Financial Times, the head of the organising committee, David Stubbs, said of the targets: We know we cant do this on our own. The London 2012 Games has been…
Read moreFootprint Comment: Osborne’s call to mediocrity
George Osborne declared last week Lets at the very least resolve that were going to cut our carbon emissions no slower but also no faster than our fellow countries in Europe. To put this into context under the Climate Change Act, the government is legally bound to cut Britains carbon emissions by 34 per cent…
Read moreCutting The Crop
In her first interview as Environment Secretary,Caroline Spelman, who has a background in biotech lobbying, has indicated the new coalition governments unprecedented pro-GM stance, backing wider selling and growing of so called Frankenfood and bringing this highly contentious issue once more to the fore. In the Guardian interview, the head of DEFRA said she was…
Read moreYour money or your… Accreditation
Food accreditation is everywhere now but who is certifying the certifiers? The phrase 'uncertified organic' is cropping up (apologies) more and more regularly, to describe product from farmers who follow organic practices but bluntly refuse, on either moral or fiscal grounds, to pay an organisation large sums of money to tell them and…
Read more
