RECOMMENDATION SCHEME

 

· The Slow Food Worcestershire (SFW) Recommendation Scheme is designed to recognise any establishment – primary, or secondary producer, pub, restaurant, shop or market stall - that meets the criteria set out below. 

 

· Any member of SFW can make a nomination using the form attached. The nominator should have no financial stake or other commercial interest in the business nominated.

 

· An establishment must be nominated by at least two Slow Food members from different households before the nomination will be considered.

 

· The SFW Committee will consider all nominations taking whatever steps it feels is necessary to evaluate it.  The decision of the Committee is final. 

 

· If the nomination is successful the establishment will be offered inclusion in the Recommended List (RL) listing on our website.  Recommended establishments will be given a certificate for display indicating they are recommended by SFW.  Inclusion in the RL will be for one calendar year.

 

· There will be no charge for inclusion in the list.

 

· Slow Food members are encouraged to report their own experience of any recommended establishment to the committee and these reports will be used to inform decisions on renewal of scheme membership.

 

· Owners of establishments included on the RL can apply themselves for re-listing in future years.

 

· Any information received from producers or comments received from SFW members is received in good faith and based on trust.  This is not a scheme that independently tests claims made about a product but is rather a list of recommended producers who SFW believe meet the criteria below. 

 

CRITERIA FOR CONSIDERATION WHEN MAKING A NOMINATION

 

· The establishment being nominated should be located within Worcestershire or a local area not covered by another Slow Food Convivium, or sell or distribute its products within Worcestershire.

 

· ‘Slow Food establishments’ are likely to be fairly small, independent establishments and could include the local pub, a butcher’s, farm shop, a market stall or even a school canteen wherever quality food is available.

 

· The establishment will place an emphasis on producing, using or selling fresh, seasonal, local produce and will be knowledgeable about the origins of their food.

 

· The establishment will be aware of issues such as ‘food miles’, sustainability and biodiversity.  However, as Carlo Petrini has said ‘follow this with common sense’ and as ‘a guide to making intelligent choices’.

 

· Depending on the nature of the establishment, adherence to the following core principles will be apparent

Good, Clean & Fair

 

Producers or retailers should demonstrate a commitment to all three of the following principles:

Good: organoleptic quality

“Good” is used here to refer to what gives pleasure to the senses.  Taste is largely subjective but a general consensus can be arrived at through local knowledge, respected awards and the results of tasting sessions.

Clean: environmental quality

This attribute assesses quality in terms of respect for the environment, the ecosystem, biodiversity and the landscape, shown in the production of produce.  Slow Food supports organic and biodynamic production methods but considers all producers who can demonstrate their respect for the environment.  In addition to the effect of production on the environment, this attribute also assesses the effect on human and animal health and welfare.  Animal welfare is a priority in terms of quality of life, quality of feed and method of slaughter.

Fair: social quality

Fairness here means fair prices for both consumers and producers.  It considers the impact of production on the economic and social environment and the steps taken to ensure that the community in which it takes place is both lively and liveable.

In addition to these core principles, the following guidelines should also be followed:

Sustainability

· The production of food must favour the regeneration of production areas, use local markets as far as possible to source raw materials and promote local communities and economies.

· With regard to fishing, stocks should not be exploited to a level that risks depleting them.

· The agriculture we would like to see makes use of renewable energy and only marginal use of non-renewable sources.  Its production techniques should optimise crops according to the natural cycles of the biosphere without altering them.

· Production techniques that cause pollution and excessively long or unnecessary transport are unacceptable.  Sustainability may be achieved by ensuring the shortest route from producer to consumer, by respecting seasonality and providing incentives to use local products (for example in schools or hospitals).

Biodiversity

· Production must safeguard the natural environments and living animal and vegetable species that populate our planet.  This extraordinary biodiversity is constantly decreasing and all producers must ensure that no further risk or damage is caused and actively adapt production techniques to ensure the maintenance and enhancement of biodiversity.

Typicality and local character

· The product should be connected to its area of production by virtue of local knowledge, methods, culture and tradition.

· Where possible, small-scale artisan production is preferred, tied as it is to traditional local methods, history and identity.  However we recognise that Artisan production alone cannot support the food requirements of medium-large urban conglomerations; thus industrial production is also necessary but it has to respect the good, clean and fair parameters listed above and achieve the right balance between quantity and quality.  Priority is also given to productive relations with local enterprises and environments.

· Slow Food maintains that communities, indigenous populations and nations have the right to maintain their own animal and vegetable biological diversity and their heritage of local knowledge with regard to food production.  This knowledge is key to the maintenance of sustainable agriculture.  No global commercial regulation or multinational corporation should be able to violate these intellectual property rights of farmers and local communities or to promote “biopiracy” (the theft of local knowledge and genetic diversity for commercial purposes).

Traceability

· All producers, both large and small, should be able to certify the whole production process and the origin of the raw materials they use, including animal feed.

Naturalness

· Ingredients should be sustainable and local to the area of production.

· No artificial preservatives, hydrogenated oils, artificial flavourings, colouring agents or other non-natural additives should be used.

· Slow Food believes that genetic manipulation is unnecessary in agricultural products for human and animal consumption and thus opposes their use.  Furthermore, it believes that genetic manipulation represents a risk factor in terms of genetic pollution of cultivars and species.

Packaging

· All products should use the minimum amount of packaging required to ensure the safety of the product

· Where packaging is used it should be recyclable and the packaging should have minimum impact upon the environment.  In general, and where appropriate, paper packaging is preferred to plastic packaging

· Producers should encourage consumers of their products not to use plastic bags at the point of sale

· Packaging should be sourced as locally as possible and ideally within the UK

 

 

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