Environmental Policy

Cumbria On A Plate aims to use and promote the highest quality food, defined by geography, pollution, farming practices and health.

We recognise our responsibility to manage the environmental impact of our activities. We have assessed our activities and identified that our significant environmental aspects and impacts include growing and transportation of food, generation of food waste and packaging waste, use of fossil fuel energy and emission of CO2 and other air pollutants from transport, heating and cooking, the use of water and improved environmental awareness of the local and wider community.

Our environmental policy is as follows:

a. To grow, purchase and use organic foods, available locally avoiding unnecessary packaging waste or ‘food miles’.

b. To work with, purchase food from and promote local artisan food producers and suppliers who themselves source ingredients available locally.

c. To buy fairly-traded ingredients when sourcing ingredients only available from overseas.

d. To promote the additional benefits of cooking with locally produced food in terms of health, value for money and wellbeing.

e. To promote the awareness of ‘food miles’ impact from fuel use, emissions, road congestion and fresher food.

f. To minimise waste sent to landfill by;

• Reducing the purchase of over packaged food
• Recycling paper, card, cans, glass and plastic at local facilities
• Composting green waste generated from food preparation

g. To identify the significant environmental impacts of my activities

h. To continually review suitable objectives to minimise my significant impacts

i. To prevent pollution, minimise my inputs of utilities and resources and the outputs of emissions to the atmosphere, effluents to waters

j. To ensure that suppliers, students and guests are aware of my Environmental Policy

k. To communicate, co-operate and respond to the views of interested parties, including guests, students and the general public, on environmental issues, where this is practicable and likely to result in an overall improved environmental performance

l. To strive for continual improvement in overall environmental performance.