Dear [name/position]

I am contacting you on behalf of [your group name] to ask if [business name] would be willing to take action to improve the health of your staff and the planet by making some small changes to the food you serve [in your canteen/café etc].

Food production has a massive impact upon the land, climate and environment. Globally, agriculture uses 70 per cent of our fresh water, and takes up 38 per cent of our land. The worst offenders are livestock, which are responsible for over 14 per cent of our greenhouse gas emissions – more than all forms of transport combined. In the UK we eat a huge amount of meat, and many people don’t realise the impact this has on our environment. If we keep eating this way, the resulting climate change and damage to natural resources will make it impossible to feed the world in the future.

Here [in area/at local group name] we’re campaigning alongside farmers and many others for better ways of farming, improvements in the way food gets to market, and changes to the kind of food we eat. This includes sustainable farming that doesn't exhaust the land, cutting down on food waste, and, for individuals, making the choice to eat less meat.

We are asking businesses across [area] to take action to tackle this – and you could lead the way. You employ [number] of people, which means that the meat your staff eat each year was responsible foremitting [staff number X 20,440] kg[1] of CO2 – not to mention additional greenhouse gases – into our atmosphere contributing a huge amount to global climate change.

Just by taking the following steps you could make a huge difference:

  • Provide staff with information about sustainable diets
  • Ask your catering supplier to outline their procurement policy and explain any elements concerned with sustainability. If they aren’t taking action ask them to commit to:
  • Reduce the amount of meat you serve/increase the amount of vegetables/have a meat free day each week
  • Provide staff with information about the nutritional value and carbon cost of their meals[2]
  • Consider where your food comes from (think about sourcing food that is fair trade/MSC/free range/pasture fed/British)
  • Develop a strategy to reduce your waste and find uses for surplus food – Many businesses, local authorities and other organisations (including Sustain) follow the hierarchy and advice set out in the Food Waste Pyramid (

We would be very interested in working with you to [become the first to make / join XXXX in making [area]] a champion for ensuring we can feed ourselves and future generations without devastating our planet. [COULD ADD: we have enclosed/attached some information on sustainable procurement / a poster to help you promote your new sustainable, flexitarian approach] Please get in touch if you would like any further information on how you can support sustainable diets in your workplace and across [area].

Thanks,

[your name, Local group name]

[1] From

[2] 56 per cent of UK consumers would value details concerning a product’s carbon footprint when making a buying decision. With this data, 44 per cent would switch to a product or service with a lower carbon footprint, even if it was not their first preference. 43 per cent would be willing to pay more for a lower carbon product or service – CapGemini 2007