In a recent conversation with Stuart Orr, a friend from WWF International, the topic of water management and the value of water footprinting came up. In particular we talked about the localised impacts of basin and watershed management and the indicators, incentives, sanctions and technologies that could and are being employed to effect positive changes (more about this in a forthcoming post). As an aside Stuart mentioned that improved irrigation technology and incentives to encourage its use may in fact have negative impacts on water availability at basin scale. Read the rest of this entry »

PAS 2050 is a publicly available specification for assessing product life cycle GHG emissions, prepared by BSI British Standards and co-sponsored by the Carbon Trust and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). PAS 2050 is an independent standard, developed with significant input from international stakeholders and experts across academia, business, government and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) through two formal consultations and multiple technical working groups.

Carbon Trust: Guide to PAS 2050

PAS 2050 is a free and publicly available methodology but implementation can be fiddly and time-consuming. Provenance offers support to businesses interested in using PAS 2050; we can either manage the whole process for a given product or range of products or work with you to train staff and set up your own assessment systems. Read the rest of this entry »

Provenance has joined the 10:10 campaign – we’d like to encourage you to do the same.

By committing to cut your emissions by 10% in 2010, you will join thousands of individuals, schools, hospitals, businesses and organisations all actively helping to combat climate change by making simple changes to their lifestyles, homes and workplaces. More importantly, your voice will help to put pressure on the politicians to cut Britain’s emissions as quickly as the science demands. If we in the UK can prove that fast, deep cuts can be made at a national level, then we may just inspire all the other big polluting countries to follow suit.

It is only relatively recently that we have forgotten the important additional role that our woods, fields and hedgerows (as well as river banks and sea shores) played in diet and health. Arguably, after the industrial revolution, foods and medicines collected from these sources became the preserve of the rural poor, but that doesn’t mean that they didn’t have great nutritional value and flavour.

There is an increasing interest in wild harvested foods, not just in the usual plants and mushrooms but more unusual species including naturalised garden escapees like Himalayan balsam and oft overlooked representatives of our native flora such as shepherds purse and hedge garlic (illustrated left). Leading chefs and delicatessens, particularly in London, are requesting small volumes of an increasing range of foraged foods – often they’re guided in these choices by a new breed of responsible, professional forager. Read the rest of this entry »

The UK will need to change the way food is produced and processed so that we continue to enjoy healthy affordable food in the decades ahead
Hilary Benn, Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary

As Defra launches the Food 2030 open discussion on the future of food, Provenance, a new London and East Anglia based partnership, is offering a range of services to independent food businesses across the supply chain, with an emphasis on supporting, promoting and developing more sustainable and local supply chains. Read the rest of this entry »

All of us at Provenance have worked with and for many independent food businesses, from farming and foraging to wholesale and retailing.

We’re all too aware that many independent farmers, food producers, retailers and caterers often fail to adequately communicate their excellent work and the superb food they produce or provide. Small businesses may be too focused on their day-to-day business, too occupied with their primary occupation of producing and supplying good food, or simply feel that the cost of communication services is unjustified. Read the rest of this entry »