Leicestershire wins silver at National Sustainable Food Places Awards

The only Midlands county to be awarded this accolade in 2023.

The National Sustainable Food Places Awards 2023 saw Leicestershire win a silver award.

These national awards are open to members of the Sustainable Food Places network, bringing together pioneering food partnerships that are driving innovation and best practice on all aspects of healthy and sustainable food across the UK.

Winning silver is a celebration for Leicestershire and the partners involved across every part of the food system from farming, food processing, cooks, chefs, and the places we buy and eat food; through to food pantries, food banks, community fridges, kitchens and gardens, and policy makers and health practitioners.

There are just 16 silver awards in the UK, 11 in England and one in the Midlands for Leicestershire.

Mike Sandys, director of public health at Leicestershire County Council, said: "We're pleased to have been recognised for the proactive work with our food partnership. Whether it's growing, cooking or helping people access food, our teams support people across Leicestershire and this silver award is richly deserved."

Visit Leicester, the destination management organisation for Leicester and the wider county, included information on their Taste the Place campaign in the award application, and feedback from the judges picked out the campaign as exceptional work within the food partnership.

Visit Leicester’s Taste the Place tourism campaign promotes the unique food and drink offering for visitors to Leicester and Leicestershire. One of the key themes of Taste the Place focuses on Food for Thought - exploring how climate change can also be fought from the kitchen. It looks at environmentally sustainable food consumption that reduces food miles, supports sustainable agri-farming and promotes a 'farm-to-fork' approach. The campaign highlights producers with retail outlets, delis, farm shops and markets where locally-produced, seasonal products can be purchased as well as businesses that use a local supply chain.

Mike Denby, Director of Inward Investment and Place Marketing, said: "We are delighted that our Taste the Place food and drink campaign has been so well received and was used to highlight some of the fantastic local businesses who are going above and beyond to produce sustainable products with lower environmental impact. This is becoming more and more important in the fight for climate change and consumers are now more aware when making purchasing choices."

To find out more about the Taste the Place campaign and for bookable visits, activities and experiences, visit the website.