Press Release
For immediate release: [Date]
Word count:
Images attached: [up to 3 jpgs with captions – sent as attachments along with this press release]
[Catchy headline, ie
Local caterer aims high for school children]
[NAME OF CATERER] achieves Silver Food for Life Catering Mark for serving fresh and healthy meals in [place].
[Name of caterer] in [place] [has been/is the first/second caterer in the county/town/sector to] achieve the Soil Association’s Silver Food for Life Catering Mark, for serving fresh and healthy meals made with selected local and organic ingredients.
More and more, people want to know where their food comes from and how it has been made. As a Silver Food for Life Catering award-holder, and after a rigorous on-site inspection, [Name of caterer] have proved that they prepare meals using fresh, seasonal, local ingredients, free from controversial e-numbers and from farms with animal welfare standards you can trust (at least 5% of ingredients are organic). They are also making healthy eating the easy option.
[Short paragraph about your company. You can include information about specific contracts you have gained the Catering Mark for, meal numbers per day; your commitment to fresh food; specific achievements you want to draw attention to. Add information about local/organic food you are serving too].
[Insert quote/amend text on what it means to achieve your Silver award, why it’s important etc., for example:
Commenting on their achievement, Paul Hollywood, Catering Manager at The Tricky Pastry Company in Central City says:
‘We’re very pleased to have achieved the Silver Food for Life Catering Mark. We’ve always strived to serve fresh and nutritious meals, and this award recognises our commitment. We’re already thinking about how we can work towards our Gold award’.]
Martin Sawyer, Chief Executive of Soil Association Certification, says:
’We’re delighted to see [name of caterer] achieving the Silver Catering Mark and gaining recognition for serving great fresh meals made with seasonal, local and organic ingredients. Serving menus to Silver Catering Mark Standards supports local businesses and reassures customers that all meals are free from GM ingredients. A huge congratulations to [insert your company name here] on your achievement.’
- ENDS –
For further information please contact:
[Please add your name, job title, phone number and email address, plus your company website address and any social media links your company use]
Lucy Gatward, Catering Mark Marketing Officer
0117 314 5130 | | www.soilassociation.org
Notes to editors:
[Add a short history of your company/MD/other relevant information here, so that newspaper editors can pad an article out if they want to]
[1] The New Economics Foundation undertook an independent evaluation and found that for every £1 spent on Food for Life menus, there is a £3 return to the local economy. Full report here
[2] More than 1.5 Catering Mark meals are served every weekday across the UK’s hospitals, schools, care homes, staff restaurants and in cafes.
3] The Food for Life Catering Mark Standards are:
Bronze
· Meals contain no undesirable food additives or hydrogenated fats
· 75% of dishes are freshly prepared
· Meat is from farms which satisfy UK welfare standards
· Eggs are from cage-free hens
· Menus are seasonal
· Training is provided for all catering staff
· No GM ingredients are used
· Free drinking water is available
· No endangered fish are served
· Information about where the food has come from is on display
· Suppliers meet food safety standards
· School caterers meet government guidelines for food and nutrition
Silver and Gold
The Silver and Gold Catering MarkStandards work on a flexible points system, which rewards every penny spent on ethical, environmentally friendlyandlocal ingredients, and recognises steps to offer healthier menus.
· At Silver, at least 5% of ingredients are organic and a selection of local or UK produce is served. A number of steps are taken to make meals healthier.
· At Gold, at least 15% of ingredients are organic, a significant proportion of the ingredients caterers use must be from the UK or produced locally and further steps are taken to make healthy eating easier.
For more information about the Food for Life Catering Mark and a full list of organisations which have achieved it, as well as the latest meal numbers, please see our web pages: www.soilassociation.org/catering