 Sustainable Food Laboratory | Semi-Annual MeetingLondon, UK | 13-16 February, 2007 The London meeting will have two major sections: Sustainable Food Lab Meeting: Tuesday and Wednesday, 13-14 February, the Sustainable Food Lab Team will engage new European partners, learn from 6-8 sessions about emerging innovations, and plan our future work together. An orientation session for new Lab Team members will be held on the evening of 12 February. Download the Sustainble Food Laboratory Semi-Annual Meeting Invitation and Logistics pdf Download the Public Meeting brochure Sustainable Food Lab Meeting 13-14 FebruaryPurposes:
Much of the meeting will focus on six to eight innovation cases as described below. The cases will be briefly presented in plenary so that participants can better decide how to spend their time as each person will get to choose two to attend. Many Lab Members will also be part of the presentation teams for these sessions. Each session will include both an exploration of the case as it currently exists as well as its potential for expansion and replication. The Innovations Cases (pending final confirmation from presenters): Dialogue Sessions: Tuesday, 13 February, 14:15-16:15 Business Coalitions, Platforms, Networks, and Alliances for Sustainability The Sustainable Food Lab Business Coalition, initiated in the US, now includes 18 members, with more companies likely to join. The Sustainable Agriculture Initiative (SAI) Platform, centered in Europe, has 22 members. A new Business Coalition for Sustainable Food is emerging in Brazil. Craig Watson (SYSCO) and Hans Joehr (Nestle) will lead a background description of each association, including history, membership and goals. Key questions:
Each coalition will assess the overlap in membership among these associations, the most important objectives over the next few years and the tools and services developed for members. There will be discussion of common commitments to assess and improve the sustainability of supply chains and procurement and the role of NGOs and other external stakeholders for each association. [Note: On Wednesday afternoon, there will be a closed follow-up meeting among leaders of these associations seeking potential alignment. This follow-up meeting will discuss potential synergies as well as unique niches and discuss specific next steps that might be undertaken together.] Unintended Consequences of New Standards and Changes in the Supermarket Sector IIED and partners have conducted research into retail supply chains to understand the impact of new private standards such as EurepGAP, on the access of small scale producers in Kenya and Zambia to EU retail fruit and vegetable markets. These export markets have a proven success record in developing important economic opportunities that contribute to poverty reduction, but are now being challenged by the rollout of agricultural practice standards that can quickly reduce the ability of smallholders to participate. This research raises important questions about approaches to specifications and practices that reduce or enable small holder participation. Bill Vorley from IIED will present the research and Steve Homer from Flamingo/Homegrown will talk about his experiences as an importer of horticulture from Africa to the UK market. Discussion will include questions such as: How have standards been changing in supply chains you are connected to and what impact has it had? How can standards be developed and implemented (including inspection and certification) in ways that don't present high barriers to market entry, and foster smallholder participation? What lessons can be learned from the fair trade movement in terms of keeping smallholders in supply chains? Responsible Fisheries Alliances: Social Price Premium and Supply Chain Standards to Enhance Diversified Sustainable Development Carrefour, the Charles Leopold Mayer Foundation, and community based organizations in Africa are working to create fish procurement standards and a community foundation to improve the lives of fishing communities which sell Nile Perch from Lake Victoria to European markets. The discussion will focus on the specific impacts of a premium paid by retailers on fish purchases that is invested back through a community foundation into community development and fishery sustainability. Presentation team: René Segbenou, Pierre Vuarin, Bruno Correard. Dialogue Sessions: Wednesday, 14 February, 10:00-12:00 Strategy session for Bio-fuels Investor and Policy Standards The Responsible Commodities team of the Sustainable Food Lab developed a benchmarking tool for the comparison and development of commodity standards and is now collecting research leads from around the world to support recommendations for policy makers and investors in bio-fuels. This group includes leaders from Unilever, JP Morgan, AgroAdeco, Soros Investment, and World Wildlife Fund. Other groupings are now on a similar path including a recently formed Sustainable Biofuels Roundtable, with a secretariat at the University of Lausanne supported by the Swiss government. Knowing Your Supply Chains: Methods for Assessing and Improving Livelihoods In 2006, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters (GMCR) and the International Center for Agricultural Research (CIAT), ForesTrade and other stakeholders, undertook study and fieldwork focused on developing Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s) related to poverty and hunger in coffee-growing communities. Don Seville will share a brief update on field research that CIAT conducted with a major US retailer through their supply chain for green beans to learn whether their producers receive a “fair return”. The field research is a full financial supply chain assessment that is used as the basis of conversation with participants in the supply chains about current performance and improvement opportunities. Pathways to the Incorporation of Social and Environmental Criteria in Standards, Specifications, and Buying Practices Four panelists will present followed by a large group dialogue:
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