Bristol awarded Gold Sustainable Food City status

An innovative approach towards tackling food inequality, reducing waste and increasing urban growing has seen Bristol become only the second city in the UK to secure Gold Sustainable Food City status.

Awarded by the Sustainable Food Places Board, the status is given in recognition of the work of the city in growing Bristol’s good food movement and tackling the impacts of food on public health, nature, and climate change.

The 18-month Going for Gold initiative and Bristol Bites Back Better campaign, focussed on reducing food waste, growing Bristol’s good food movement and community action, buying better, urban food growing, eating better and food equality.

Bristol joins Brighton and Hove who were awarded Gold at the end of last year, with the bid being a city-wide collective effort led by Bristol City Council, Bristol Food Network, Bristol Green Capital Partnership and Resource Futures, as well organisations, citizens and food outlets across the city who logged almost 2,000 positive food actions on the Going for Gold website.

Asher Craig, deputy mayor for Bristol City Council and chairperson of the Going for Gold Steering Group, said: “Despite the most challenging of years, we’ve seen extraordinary altruism and a continued fight to resolve not just the issues caused by the pandemic but broader, pre-existing social and environmental issues.

“Our Gold achievement is a testament to the whole city rallying together and taking action, from citizens and organisations to policy makers. More than ever there is a collective energy calling for food that is good for people, communities, and the planet to be available to everyone in Bristol. This award makes it clear that Bristol is on the right path towards a better food future for all its citizens.”

Sustainable Food Places leads a growing good food movement of people and organisations across the UK, who are working towards making healthy, sustainable, local food, a defining characteristic of where they live.