Sustainability Chapter Champion

Cameron Moffat
Sustainability Manager, Young’s Seafood

“Whilst Covid-19 still dominated headlines in 2021, its ubiquity seemed only to be challenged by the prevalence of stories relating to sustainability and climate change in the media. From the World Meteorological Organisation’s flagship ‘State of the Global Climate’ report warning that the global average temperature had already risen by approximately 1.2 degrees, to the widespread protests by Insulate Britain making front page news, 2021 felt like a real step change in the climate conversation. Nowhere was this more evident than at the COP26 summit at the end of last year, where 100,000 people took to the streets of Glasgow to demand more action from the world leaders negotiating the approach to limit anthropogenic change. The people have spoken and now is the time to act.

The British frozen food industry has always had particularly strong messaging relating to production of safe, nutritious goods with minimal food waste. Nevertheless, the manufacturing, storing and transporting of frozen goods is an energy intensive process that needs immediate attention if businesses are going to transition to Net Zero.

This topic remains a huge piece of the puzzle in assuring sustainable food systems both in the UK and its complex global supply chain. Whilst challenges in the availability of accurate and consistent data in this area still exist, businesses are increasingly aware of its necessity and are engaging with the tools needed to transparently report it.

As we look forward to 2030 and beyond, increasingly climate conscious consumers will be looking for the simplest way of reducing their environmental impact. A trend that is set to grow over the next few years is footprint labelling on pack, with detailed recyclability and emissions information influencing buying decisions.

This movement is supported by a recent EY report that noted “Gen Z and Millennials are much more likely to favour sustainable lifestyle choices, such as plant-based diets and use of public transport. They are more likely to share information about products that are good for the planet with their friends and peers”. Businesses in the frozen food space like Quorn have already made headway with this and have shown the possibilities of offering these eco-aware consumers of tomorrow more robust information on the products they are buying.

The term ‘Sustainability’ can mean many different things to many people. From the responsible procurement of raw materials, to the management of water and waste, or the effectiveness of a business’s human rights due diligence procedure. This is why this year’s formation of the BFFF Special Interest Group on Sustainability is a fantastic step forward for the Federation. By using collective knowledge, effectively allocating resources and sharing insight, we will have the ability to better address the holistic challenges our industry faces.

With this being said, I am very proud to be this year’s Frozen Food Report Sustainability chapter champion and I welcome you to read on into the chapter’s insights.”

The Frozen Food Report 2022