In 2022, a subset of UKSCI members, forming a cross-section of the UK foodservice sector, including importers, wholesalers and restaurant chains, came together to form the Food Service Working Group.
The group acts as a forum for discussions on barriers to responsible sourcing within foodservice, and a space for knowledge exchange and learning. Members of this group have been able to come together to present a shared voice of the foodservice sector, to consider regulatory and market developments and their specific sectoral implications.
To date, this working group has had three key focus areas:
Policy implementation
- Information sharing on recent developments in the UK soy and palm oil supply chains and key implications for the foodservice industry.
Upskilling suppliers and internal staff
- A supplier-focused webinar was hosted on verified deforestation and conversion free (vDCF) soy to strengthen the knowledge and capabilities of suppliers to be better placed in responding to asks from customers on the sustainability claims of soy they provide.
- This focus on soy and palm oil broadened to include further forest risk commodities, resulting in the creation of a series of ‘coffee break briefing videos’, designed to give quick introductions to a range of commodities.
- A series of internal training resources to support both the upskilling of procurement staff and communication with suppliers was developed.
Aligning and simplifying data requests
- A shared supplier survey template was developed, focused on palm oil and soy to align data requests and reduce the burden on suppliers.
All resources described are freely available on the Efeca Sustainable Commodities Resource Hub.
