The Good Food For London Report 2014 published today by the London Food Board and Sustain has recognised London Living Wage accreditation as a key metric to determine which London Boroughs are showing Leadership through good food initiatives.
The report provides a league table of local authorities' support for key good food initiatives, such as community food growing, paying the London Living Wage, running the UNICEF UK Baby Friendly Initiative, high quality school food, helping local food outlets serve healthier food, involvement in a local food partnership and buying ethical food in schools and local authority canteens - including Fairtrade products, cage-free eggs and sustainable fish.
Paying the Living Wage means that all employees that work for an organisation have enough money to afford a healthy diet & also have more time to prepare balanced meals for their families. We have seen that where Local Authorities show leadership, this encourages more organisations and businesses in the area to follow. Paying the Living Wage at this level, is a responsible action to help improve lifestyle options and the general well being of many in our 11 London Living Wage accredited Boroughs.
Click here to read the report.
London Food Link looks at how London Boroughs compare on their support for good food with the help of their selected Partner organisations including the Living Wage Foundation, Fairtrade, UNICEF and many others.
The London borough league table and series of good food maps shine a light on which boroughs are demonstrating strong leadership and which are lagging behind. We are delighted to see that the top three London Boroughs recognised in this league table are also Living Wage accredited employers.
Rosie Boycott, Chair of the London Food Board that oversees implementation of the Mayor's Food Strategy said:
"The London Living Wage - a campaign backed by the Mayor and paid to staff here at the GLA - recognises that if we are to take on the worrying rise of food poverty in the capital, first we should ensure that no Londoner with a job should have to make a choice between eating healthily and heating their home. And for boroughs to have the greatest impact in confronting these challenges, working closely with stakeholders from across the borough will be crucial, which is why I am thrilled to see the introduction of a measure on local food partnerships to the report".
We would also like to recognise the continual efforts made by the London Borough of Islington to the Living Wage and are pleased to see that their wider efforts made secured them a number one spot on this leadership table.