Food at Calderdale Council events could be plant-based

Senior councillors are asked to recommend to the full council that members ditch flesh and approve a “plant-based catering policy”.

If approved, this would be a requirement for catering provided at Calderdale Council-hosted meetings, as well as events on its premises and catering paid for using council funds

The proposed policy would apply at mayor-making and any other events the mayor holds, and for chief officer recruitment panels where catering is provided.

Food provided at these occasions would be 100 per cent plant-based, with a preference for seasonal and whole, non-processed foods, the briefing paper for Calderdale Council cabinet members says.

The paper argues that the food system is responsible for a third of all greenhouse gases globally, according to the National Food Strategy 2021, and further argues that in the UK, 20 per cent of greenhouse gases are from the domestic food system alone.

The biggest impact of emissions from food is from agriculture, says the paper, and as such the issue needs to be considered in light of the council’s climate change policies.

The council is committed to achieving net-zero carbon dioxide emissions as a local authority and a borough by 2038, with significant progress by 2030.

Calderdale Council declared a climate emergency in 2019 and adopted the “Becoming a Climate Change Emergency Employer” policy in March 2020.

The policy includes a commitment by the council to use plant-based catering as the greenhouse gases produced by meat and dairy products have the highest impact whereas plant-based foods have the lowest, says the paper.

Plant-based food consists of vegetables, grains, pulses, or foods from plants, rather than animals, and ideally, plant-based food should be minimally processed, says the paper.

Councillor Scott Patient (Lab, Luddenden Foot), Calderdale Council’s cabinet member for climate action and housing said the council also wanted to encourage catering partners to do the same.

“Although the council doesn’t provide catering for events and meetings very often, we do think it’s important to lead by example, and we want to encourage other partners and businesses to consider using locally sourced, seasonal fruit and vegetables to lower their own carbon impact,” he said.

The senior councillors will be asked to recommend to council that the policy is adopted at the next meeting of the Cabinet at 4pm on Monday, June 3.