The Foodsteps Monthly Digest - September Edition
- Navigating LSRS and what Foodsteps is doing to help.
- Why businesses aren't hitting Net Zero
- Changing appetites and the future of food sector growth
- Incoming policy changes and reflections from Footprint Festival
LSRS Client Guide
With January 1st looming on the horizon, the countdown to LSRS is officially on. There is a lot for food businesses to wrap their head around, but you can rest easy knowing that most of the heavy lifting will be done by your data and technology partners.
At Foodsteps, we've spent the past few months updating our emission factor database, methodology, and processes so that our customers can be compliant from day one. We're also ensuring that the primary data we collect from suppliers is harmonised in alignment with LSRS.
We've created a guide that breaks down the new standard and explains exactly what Foodsteps is doing to make the transition as smooth as possible.
Download our guide here.
Foodsteps News
Insights from Perú
Earlier this month, Joe Duncan-Duggal, Foodsteps' Chief Scientific Officer, attended the Forbes Sustainability Leaders' Summit in Perú, where he delivered the conference's closing remarks. He addressed the elephant in most board rooms right now: companies aren't hitting their net zero targets. All hope is not lost, however. Joe discussed the crucial role of good sustainability data in business's journey to decarbonise, as well as data's relationship with collaboration – both requiring it, and facilitating it.
Listen to his reflections here.
Footprint Festival
The team attended the first ever Footprint Festival last week, joining some really important conversations about the future of the industry. A few themes that kept repeating themselves were the crucial role of data in helping businesses take action and the importance of understanding your consumer – and meeting them where they are.
A highlight for Foodsteps was working with Polly from Jolly Allotment to measure the environmental impact of her delicious food. Polly is creating local, regenerative food systems, and it was an honour to join her for a few days on her journey.
Read our reflections on the festival here.
Industry News
Growth In Times Of Change
Future Food Movement's September Expert Event examined what happens to the food industry when appetites change – due to shifting expectations, trends on social media, and GLP-1s. The expert panel, which was comprised of Tesco's Alice Ritchie, Sorted Food's Ben Ebbrell, Field Doctor's Alex Brooks, Veg Power's Dan Parker and Whitworths' Phil Gowland, looked at the issue through the lens of retail, sustainability, nutrition, and behaviour change.
The most interesting takeaway was around what people actually want and respond to – not what they might say they want. In this sense, taste, familiarity and simplicity remain crucial characteristics of any successful food product.
Read our overview of the session here.
Updates to the UK School Food's Standard
We were so thrilled to see a much needed change to the UK's School Food Standards – the first in over a decade. The new standards limit processed meat and fried foods, and relax the long-standing meat mandate, making room for other proteins like lentils and beans. Public procurement is an incredibly effective tool in changing diets and influencing supply chains, and we're hopeful about the impact this change can have.
Read our breakdown here.
Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition
On 27 September, a new law comes into effect to protect consumers from unsubstantiated environmental claims on products. Though ECGT is an EU law, any business that sells or markets their goods in the EU must comply, regardless of where their operations or supply chain is based.
If you have any questions about how this directive impacts your business, reach out to our team.
