LEAF Marque: Helping growers and producers to realise the opportunities of London 2012 Food Vision

Sustainability lies at the very heart of the Food Vision for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. It calls for catering that delivers a tastier, healthier and greener Games. Food producers, who can prove their sustainable and environmentally responsible credentials though assurance schemes such as LEAF Marque, are ideally placed to meet many of the core objectives of the London 2012 Food Vision.

Catering for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games is being referred to as ‘The largest peace-time catering operation in the world’¹. With 330 tonnes of fruit and vegetables, 25,000 loaves of bread and more than 100 tones of meat required to prepare 14 million meals for approximately 9,210,000 people taking part in, attending or working at the games, this represents a unique opportunity for British food producers. Caroline Drummond, LEAF Chief Executive comments “The companies tendering for catering contracts will be looking to food producers to help them demonstrate that they can achieve specific benchmark standards and aspirational targets in addition to proving that they are building sustainability into their businesses. The LEAF Marque is one of the official aspirational standards for product sourcing giving LEAF Marque and aspiring LEAF Marque producers an incredible opportunity to be part of the Food Vision for the Games. LEAF will be assisting these producers by helping them to get in touch with the caterers to the games and realise this opportunity” The LEAF Marque is an assurance scheme developed by LEAF (Linking Environment And Farming) based upon environmentally responsible farming principles that support farmers to produce good food, with care and to high environmental standards. LEAF Marque growers produce a wide range of products including fruit, salads, vegetables, cooking oils and flowers. They care for the environment in a number of ways including carefully managing hedgerows to provide habitats for food and wildlife, using pesticides and fertilisers only when absolutely necessary, recycling waste and conserving energy. In addition to developing the LEAF Marque assurance scheme, LEAF is a farming charity that helps farmers to find new ways of farming with environmental care and to build public understanding and trust of food and farming through Open Farm Sunday and visits to a national network of Demonstration Farms. For more information about LEAF membership, LEAF Marque opportunities and details of the companies invited to tender for London 2012 catering contracts please contact: Jeremy Boxall, LEAF Commercial Manager T: 02476 413911 E: jeremy.boxall@leafuk.org - Ends - For further information and images, to arrange an interview or to obtain industry comment: Ailsa Jensen LEAF Press Office T: 01189 475 956 E: ailsa.jensen@ceres-pr.co.uk For further information on all LEAF’s work and activities, visit www.leafuk.org Editors’ Notes: • LEAF Marque is an assurance scheme based on LEAF farming principles. It is independently inspected and certified by third party certification bodies. Farms certified as LEAF Marque can use the LEAF Marque logo on all the produce they sell, direct to the consumer or to retail outlets • LEAF’s Integrated Farm Management (IFM) approach combines the best of traditional farming methods with modern technology, allowing farmers to manage their farms in an informed, professional and caring way. IFM encourages farmers to maintain the highest standards of food production with the minimum environmental impact • Open Farm Sunday (taking place on 12 June 2011) is a national flagship event when hundreds of farms open their gates to the general public. It is a great opportunity for visitors to see at first hand how farmers produce the food they eat and care for the countryside. For more information visit www.farmsunday.org • There are 49 LEAF Demonstration Farms across England and Scotland. A variety of different groups visit LEAF Demonstration Farms including farmers, MPs, MEPs, government groups, farming, wildlife and conservation groups (including Young Farmers, Wildlife Trusts, RSPB groups) WI groups, schools, teachers and other educational bodies • Let Nature Feed Your Senses – LEAF (Linking Environment And Farming) and the Sensory Trust are working together on a flagship project to connect disengaged groups and individuals with nature and the countryside, through food and farming. The project involves sensory rich visits to farms and nature reserves across England and is part of Natural England's Access to Nature programme, which is funded by The Big Lottery Fund’s Changing Spaces programme • ¹ Food vision for the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games, December 2009

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