Menu for Change: How a commitment to good food can help the candidates for London Mayor

London is one of the few major cities in the world to have a food strategy, and to have recognised the need for local government, businesses and communities to take action to address the very significant impact that a city’s food has on health, jobs, animal welfare and the environment. Written for London's 2012 mayoral election, this report outlines how important objectives can be achieved through good food policy by London's mayor.

London’s Food Strategy was successfully developed under Mayor Ken Livingstone, and taken forward under Mayor Boris Johnson, guided by the London Food Board. With a modest, but significant budget it has been able to make progress in many of the areas outlined in this document. But much more work still needs to be done to make London’s food system healthy and sustainable, for the benefit of everyone.

What we want London Mayoral candidates to promise to do

Sustain is a national alliance for food and farming organisations, which also runs London Food Link, a city-wide network for people and organisations interested in improving the healthiness and sustainability of the capital’s food. In the forthcoming Mayoral elections (due May 2012), we want all Mayoral candidates to pledge to retain the London Food Board, the London Food Strategy and the budget to:

1. Provide better food for London’s hospital patients and care home residents
2. Improve children’s food and health
3. Support local food producers
4. Help people to grow more food in London
5. Fight back against the junk food culture
6. Save our local food shops and markets
7. Ensure a good food legacy from London 2012

The report 'Menu for Change: How a commitment to good food can help the candidates for London Mayor' gives more detail on how these important aims can be achieved.