We're Soil Association approved...

etc.venues in London has achieved the Soil Association’s Bronze Food for Life Catering Mark for serving fresh and healthy meals.

The Food for Life Catering Mark brings together all of the issues people care about – health, climate change and animal welfare. It recognises restaurants and caterers who serve fresh food which is free from controversial additives and better for animal welfare. More and more, people want to know where their food comes from and how it was produced. The Food for Life Catering Mark provides reassurance that the food we serve meets high standards of traceability, freshness and provenance.

etc.venues pride itself on great food with excellent flavour combinations, preparing from scratch for the overwhelming majority of dishes. Our food is delivered daily, prepared from 7:30am to be served that day only.

We organise our orders and deliveries for the week and our food arrives fresh everyday. Our food is cooked fresh, from scratch on our premises, from sandwiches to canapés, from baked pastries to main courses, all our food where possible is made from scratch from original and traditional recipes. Our trained chefs only know one way to cook: the proper way. They are proud and passionate teams that have an incredible eye for detail.

The Catering Mark is open to all food providers. The Bronze, Silver and Gold tiers recognise caterers who serve more locally produced, healthy and organic food. Caterers with the Bronze Catering Mark serve seasonal meals which are freshly prepared and free from undesirable additives including MSG, tartrazine and aspartame. No GM ingredients are used and all eggs are from cage-free hens. Our meats come from traceable reputable sources as follows: Our lamb is from the Texils breed and free to roam on the North Devon Hills, our Chickens are from Suffolk and provided with a welfare friendly environment, our Beef is a cross Charolais breed from Northumbria known for its unique taste.

Commenting on their achievement, Barbara Robson, Venue Manager at one of their venues, Dexter House says:

“We’re delighted that we’ve achieved the Bronze Food for Life Catering Mark in recognition of our commitment to serving freshly prepared, seasonal meals which are free from controversial additives.”

Rob Sexton, Chief Executive of Soil Association Certification, says:

"The Bronze Catering Mark is an excellent achievement which recognises the vital role that fresh, seasonal meals play in healthy, planet-friendly menus, especially for large-scale catering. It reassures customers that their meals are free from GM ingredients, trans fats and prepared from scratch.” 

For further information please contact:

Diane Jones, Marketing Manager.

Emma Rose, Communications and Marketing Officer - 0117 914 2414 / erose@soilassociation.org

Further information on the Mark.

[1] The New Economics Foundation undertook an independent evaluation and found that for every £1 spent on Food for Life menus, there is a £3 return to the local economy. Full report here

[2] The Food for Life Catering Mark Standards are:

Bronze

• Meals contain no undesirable food additives or hydrogenated fats
• 75% of dishes are freshly prepared
• Meat is from farms which satisfy UK welfare standards
• Eggs are from cage-free hens
• Menus are seasonal
• Training is provided for all catering staff
• No GM ingredients are used
• Free drinking water is available
• No endangered fish are served
• Information about where the food has come from is on display
• Suppliers meet food safety standards
• School caterers meet government guidelines for food and nutrition

For more information about the Food for Life Catering Mark and a full list of organisations which have achieved it, as well as the latest meal numbers, please see our web pages: www.sacert.org/catering