COUNTY DURHAM FOOD CHARTER

Read and sign here

The County Durham Food Charter was launched at Durham Marketplace alongside the monthly Farmers’ Market on 19 September 2013.

We launched the charter because food consumers were becoming increasingly distanced from food production, with accompanying loss of skills in food production and preparation. Most people agree that ‘business as usual’ is not an option. The Charter, and the accompanying Sustainable Local Food Strategy, together with similar activities across the UK, are creating a movement for a more sustainable food system.

Read the County Durham Food Charter

The Food Charter is a statement of how organisations and individuals will work together to develop and promote a more sustainable, health local food system by supporting:

A Strong Local Food Economy
  1. A flourishing, competitive local ‘good food’ sector, providing gainful employment for local people.
  2. Public and private sector caterers sourcing ‘good food’ from local producers and suppliers, keeping value within our local economy.
  3. An economically viable supply chain for sustainable local food.
Environmental Sustainability
  1. A local food system that protects biodiversity and ecosystems and minimises its contribution to climate change.
  2. Food that is processed, distributed and disposed of in ways that increase composting and recycling and reduce the need for transport, energy use, packaging and waste.
Health and Wellbeing
  1. The creation of environments and infrastructure that make it easier to adopt and maintain healthy and sustainable diets.
  2. Food-related activities (e.g. growing, cooking) to improve physical and mental health for all, and which are available in our communities.
Resilient and Active Communities
  1. All our communities to have access to land, knowledge and skills in order to grow some of their own food.
Education and Skills Development
  1. Opportunities for everyone to learn about ‘good food’ – growing/rearing, cooking, preserving, marketing and selling it.
Food Fairness
  1. Improved access to ‘good food’ for everyone, regardless of their income or where they live.
  2. Food produced with high animal welfare standards, and producers being fairly rewarded.

Sign the County Durham Food Charter

Pledge your support here:

Privacy notice: We will only use your email address to confirm that your pledge has been received and to follow up your pledge. You can opt out of these communications at any time.

What you can do as an individual…

Buy more locally produced food

Compost food waste, recycle packaging

Grow some of your own food at home or in an allotment or community garden

Cook more meals from scratch using seasonal, local, fairly traded, sustainably produced ingredients

Try to waste as little food as possible

Support high standards of animal welfare by choosing e.g. free range eggs, responsibly sourced seafood

What you can do as a business/organisation…

Procure as much ‘sustainable local food’ as possible for employees and customers. You may start byincreasing the amount of fresh seasonal produce, checking that fish is MSC certified, and using eggs from free range hens

Provide opportunities for staff to grow food at or near their workplace

Reduce access to unhealthy processed food, such as snacks from vending machines

Provide the opportunity to compost tea bags and food waste

Read the County Durham Food Charter pledges…

Date Name Your Pledge
07/01/2017 Joanne Iceton As the lead and director of a local non-profit enterprise (Little Chefs Big Chefs CIC), we teach practical healthy cooking workshops to children and families in the Bishop Auckland area. We are registered with Fareshare where Tesco donate surplus food which we use is sessions and distribute to vulnerable families to avoid food waste and hunger. Throughout all of our sessions we teach the importance of cooking from scratch, using seasonal foods, eating on a budget and growing your own food.
04/20/2017 Joan Russell I pledge to grow my own food organically and encourage others to do the same. To compost and recycle as much as possible in the garden. To cook veg and fruit in season
01/26/2017 Lucy Roller I pledge to grow our own food, to garden organically, to make compost, to buy organic where I can, to reduce waste, to cook from scratch where possible and to support local businesses and others in doing this.
01/07/2016 The Great North Cookery School To promote enjoyable opportunities for people of all ages to learn how to cook from scratch and to value the importance of locally produced food that is in season.
09/17/2015 Miriam van Lent To grow more food ourselves and educate and inspire our children in doing so, make own compost, plant to attract bees.
07/21/2015 Dianne Nichol-Brown to keep adding to the varieties of organic fruit,vegetables edible flowers and herbal teas in our gardens for us, our guests and visitors, and support all our local businesses by buying everything else locally
06/21/2015 COLIN SMITH to continue to supply all excess production from my allotment to my neighbours and other people in need of fresh veg and fruit as well as well as plants they can use to produce for themselves
06/21/2015 Hannah Murray-Leslie to continue growing my own fruit & veg and buy more locally produced food
06/21/2015 joyce lovack I am trying to get an allotment and I will grow my own veg any lelf over I will be giving out to the community
06/21/2015 Broom House Farm To educate others about farming and where our food comes from, to grow/use as much locally produced food as possible and to reduce waste.
06/21/2015 John Atkinson To help promote the charter and good news stories about local food producers via my networks and community radio
06/21/2015 Mark Quinn To devote at least three hours every week working towards increasing the amount of food sourced and bought locally in Spennymoor.
06/21/2015 Michael Marston We pledge to help and support the development of community greenspaces in Durham
06/21/2015 Dianne Nichol-Brown To grow more varieties of fruit and veg and buy local organic seasonal produce whenever I can for our B&B guest meals
06/21/2015 Elizabeth Grayson To continue to buy locally produced/fairly traded goods wherever possible and never waste anything.
06/21/2015 Durham University To support the ‘Love Food Hate Waste Campaign’.
06/21/2015 Bishop Paul Butler To help local churches engage with ‘good food’ and sustainibility
06/21/2015 margaret eadsforth To involve children in growing a wild flower patch at Trimdon Grange Community Center
06/21/2015 David and Dianne Nichol-Brown to plant more fruit trees every year and grow more heritage tomatoes and herbs for our plant nursery
06/21/2015 Fiona Green I pledge to make compost and grow as much fruit and vegetables as I can and to continue producing eggs, lamb and pork for our own consumption
06/21/2015 maggie Babington To produce more home grown foods within the school grounds as Part of our “incredible edible KIng James”
06/21/2015 Julie Morgan Dodds •Try to waste as little food as possible •Compost food waste, recycle packaging
06/21/2015 Melanie Campbell I pledge to make and grow more food at home, to buy local, produce less waste, and compost more. and…to do whatever I can to support the implementation of the strategy!
06/21/2015 Mohit Jain Try to waste as little food as possible
06/21/2015 JR Holland Food Services Ltd. JR Holland Food Services pledge to continue the expansion and growth of the number of local food manufacturers, producers and growers who through our hub and distribution network will allow them to supply their products to a large and varied customer base.
06/21/2015 geordie bakers geordie bakers will launch a new range of hand-crafted artisan breads , produed by traditional methods and with no added sugar.
06/21/2015 Darren Leason Taylor Foods Ltd will continue to strive to reduce our carbon footprint and source as many products as possible locally
06/21/2015 Angela Whiting To focus on decreasing the food miles in my family food shopping
06/21/2015 Rachel Pain I pledge to buy more locally grown good.
06/21/2015 Ilan Zvi Baron I will buy local whenever possible, support local food suppliers, and will cook as much of my own foods from scratch as I can! I will also grow my own herb garden.
06/21/2015 Jo Atkinson to support and promote local food events
06/21/2015 jane johnson local food economy
06/21/2015 Sandra Almeida I pledge to: •Buy more locally produced food •Grow some of your own food at home or in an allotment or community garden •Try to waste as little food as possible •Compost food waste, recycle packaging •Cook more meals from scratch using seasonal, local, fairly traded, sustainably produced ingredients •Support high standards of animal welfare by choosing e.g. free range eggs, responsibly sourced seafood . Convince Durham Council that more people is needed to contact each community, teach about compost and start vegetable patches at home.
06/21/2015 Flemming Schiøtt Hansen I eat, communicate and cook simple, clean and local
06/21/2015 Bethany Swash We pledge to support the flourishing North East food industry by continuing to be a responsible employer of local people, and to pass on the traditional skills of cheese-making to our staff and visitors of the Cheese Farm including local community groups.
06/21/2015 Keith Bond Recycle where possible
06/21/2015 Wilf Richards I pledge to support the growth of the local food sector in Durham
06/21/2015 Fruitful Durham Fruitful Durham CIC pledge to benefit our local environment and community by making use of surplus (otherwise wasted) fruit and vegetables growing in County Durham. We turn excess fruit and veg into juices and preserves. We also pledge to plant more fruit trees, offer orchard gardening services, and run fruit courses, workshops and events.
06/21/2015 Durham Community Food Writers We pledge to preserve, celebrate and promote local food culture in County Durham. We write, we cook, we dig, and we share.
06/21/2015 Durham Local Food Network We pledge to be a grassroots local food network for anyone to share information and news about local food in County Durham.
06/21/2015 David and Dianne Nichol-Brown Plant two more types of fruit each year for our RHS students, visitors and B&B guests to enjoy- this year -Quince and stripy fig
06/21/2015 Newlands Hall B&B Buy locally produced food, waste as little food as possible, compost food waste, recycle packaging
06/21/2015 sue jackson produce and sell breads of high standard. Use locally sourced ingredient.
06/21/2015 Sarah Pybus Franklin Buy locally sourced produce
06/21/2015 Judith Pressley Ingleton primary school fully support the policy to have local food. We grow our own produce in school and support local food producers by using their products in school meals and activities in school.
06/21/2015 Hazel Coppack (Love Food) Love Food will continue to encourage the production and use of locally grown, reared or produced food.
06/21/2015 Doug Chapman we pledge to develop a closer working contact with the local food economy
06/21/2015 Evenwood Church of England Primary School We promise to continue to promote a healthy lifestyle for everyone. We will do this by creating an allotment on our school grounds. By Angel
06/21/2015 The Bowes Museum To take part in Taste Durham month
06/21/2015 Councillors Lucy Hovvels and Eddie Tomlinson Durham County Council is already active in the six areas highlighted in the Charter. We will build on our sustainable procurement work to nurture a local economy that enables more people to access any emerging job opportunities.
06/21/2015 Dr. Ann Barmby Expand the ‘Veg Out In Barney’ project in the coming year
06/21/2015 Neil Aykley Consulting; Durham I will continue to work with groups of young people in County Durham to engage them in growing food crops and learning new skills in gardening and horticulture.
06/21/2015 Taylor Shaw Durham We will endeavor to further develop the skills and education of our employees working within County Durham with regard to growing, cooking and serving ‘good food’ in order to support schools, our customers in respect of the ‘good food’ agenda.
06/21/2015 Durham Wildlife Trust To support delivery of the Charter via our projects and initiatives and to promote local food to our members.
06/21/2015 Woodcraft For Landscapes LTD We pledge to grow fruit and vegtables in a natural and sustainable manner. To supply our local village shops and residents with fresh produce.
06/21/2015 Stephen Beresford I pledge to grow more food at home, produce less waste, and compost more.
06/21/2015 Sarah James Buy locally produced food, waste less food, educate others.
06/21/2015 Roger Clubley I pledge to pursue all of the elements of this charter through my work with Sedgefield Farmer’s Market and all involved with it.
06/21/2015 Jo Laverick Durham Community Action pledges to continue with our work to support communities in the County to realise their ambitions for local food projects and community food initiatives. We will source local produce and suppliers for all of our events and activities in the County.
06/21/2015 North Pennines AONB Partnership We pledge to continue to champion the production and use of local food, including the importance of best practice farming to our protected landscapes. We will be developing new local food initiatives beyond the current Lovefood project and will be running food courses from our Bowlees visitor centre in Teesdale.
06/21/2015 Rupert Richardson I pledge to continue to source and promote local food, to grow as much as we can for our B&B business, and to promote the principlesopf the Chasrter to and through the Weardale Visitor Network
06/21/2015 paul thompson to gainfully employ local people, to promote the highest quality local produce at sustainable prices and to help develop a strong local food economy that is accessible to all.
06/21/2015 OASES To work with partners to develop programmes to encourage all schools in County Durham to develop growing areas in their school grounds. Developing skills and understanding of good local food and its impact on the environment and people’s wellbeing.
06/21/2015 Bill Oldfield To source, use and encourage the production and use of local food wherever possible; both personally and in business.
06/21/2015 Liz To find resources to implement the Sustainable Local Food Strategy!