Organic September 1st – 30th September 2023 – There are a number of ways to get involved in Organic September, from sharing your story to engaging your staff and audiences using eye-catching toolkits and assets. Visit our business’ “get involved” page to find out more about taking part in Organic September.
This September, join us as we raise awareness of the incredible benefits organic farming can bring for our climate, nature and our health.
Find out what it really means when you see the organic symbol on a product in the shops.
Together, our small collective actions add up to make a real difference. Whether we’re supporting local organic farmers and independent shops, growing our own nature-friendly veg at home, or taking steps to reduce our waste, making a pledge for our planet can help to build a more sustainable future.
Make your pledge or head to the Soil Association Website for more details.
#OrganicSeptember
National Food Bank Day USA September 1st 2023 – National Food Bank Day is marked on the first Friday of September. This year the celebration will be on September 1. Hunger is a continuing problem in our global community and National Food Bank Day is a reminder to others that no one should go to bed hungry. Food banks provide food to the poor with the help of volunteers and social workers. They also promote tools for self-sufficiency. This day is to honor those workers, volunteers, and food bank charities who work in this regard.
Three ways to support National Food Bank Day –
- Support your local food bankThe help you could give to your local food bank could be by donating money, your time, or food. Whatever your form of support, it will be greatly appreciated.
- Run a food driveCollect food outside your grocery store to keep your local food bank supplied. Partner with other like-minded individuals in order to increase your collection points.
- Spread the wordPost to social media using the hashtag #NationalFoodBankDay and create awareness.
National Bacon Butty Day 23rd September 2023 – The British Sandwich and Food to Go Association has named Thursday 23rd September as National Bacon Butty Day, celebrating a great British institution.
As we approach the end of the first full month back at school and for many, a full month back commuting to the office, the association is encouraging Brits to treat themselves to the nation’s favourite sandwich and give the food to go economy a much-needed boost.
If every commuter in the UK bought a breakfast sandwich on National Bacon Butty Day, it would be worth more than £77million to the industry. And let’s face it, we all deserve a treat!
With many commuters working from home on a Friday, analysis of the breakfast market highlights that Thursday is the new Friday when it comes to treating ourselves too. In London, food to go operators are seeing a 50% drop in trade between Thursdays and Fridays.
Jim Winship of the British Sandwich and Food to Go Association: “We couldn’t find a more perfect day to celebrate the inaugural National Bacon Butty Day. We’re nearly through the week and we’re nearly through September, a month that often tires out the best of us as we struggle back into routines, but even more so this year as workers have headed back to offices in droves. Bacon nearly always tops our polls of the UK’s most popular sandwich filling. It’s thought that more than 10 bacon butties are eaten every second in the UK and we love the smell of bacon so much you can even buy bacon scented candles.
“It’s clear you can’t get much more British than a bacon butty so what better way to treat ourselves than grabbing a bacon butty and a hot cup of coffee or tea on the way to work on National Bacon Butty Day.” Spread the good news! –
Love Lamb Week 1st – 7th September 2023 – Love Lamb Week (LLW) will run from 1 – 7 September 2023, to shine a light on the sustainability of UK sheep production, whilst also reminding consumers of the exceptional taste and quality that UK lamb brings to the dinner table.
There’s lots of ways you could help raise awareness of Love Lamb Week and champion the hard work of sheep farmers, who produce naturally delicious lamb, while maintaining the country’s unique landscape.
Promote lamb on your farm, in your shop or with your meat box orders during Love Lamb Week. Order recipe leaflets, posters, farmgate banners and sticker sheets (free of charge, limited availability).
- Stay up to date with the campaign and join in the online conversations by following the Love Lamb social channels on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
- Use #LoveLambWeek and #ShepherdsAndTheirPies hashtags in your posts, whether you’re sharing video updates on the daily work you do on farm, highlighting the sustainable messages of UK lamb production or posting photos of tasty lamb dinners. You can also tag the Love Lamb accounts in your posts and they’ll be able to see and comment.
- Don’t forget to also follow our AHDB accounts on Twitter and Facebook to stay updated with regular beef and lamb news.
- Use these graphics below on your social media accounts and shout about your support for Love Lamb Week. Right-click on each image to save to your device.
Scottish Food Fortnight 2nd – 16th September 2023.
Every September, Scottish Food & Drink Fortnight celebrates the people, products and places that are championing our industry.
Producers, manufacturers, retailers, foodservice, hospitality, regional food groups and ambassadors. It is time to celebrate the work you do day in, day out to get quality Scottish food and drink on our tables.
Our nation’s larder is one of the most diverse in the world, and although we don’t mean to, it’s easy to forget that the products we enjoy day-to-day, or during special occasions, are brough to us by hardworking people operating right under our noses.
This year we’re focusing all of our efforts into encouraging the country to discover the incredible produce from their regions and the businesses across Scotland that are stocked in everywhere from shops, restaurants, cafes and bars to delis and markets.
The gin you enjoy on a Friday evening. The fruits you savour on a summer’s day. The beef and roasted potatoes you share with family on a Sunday afternoon. This year’s Scottish Food & Drink Fortnight is all about celebrating the people across our industry’s supply chain that make all that possible.
If you work in or with the industry, take a look at these toolkits to see how you can get involved in the nation’s biggest food and drink celebration.
International Chocolate Day 13th September 2023 – Celebrate with us as we give you some cool facts and fun ideas to celebrate this well-loved treat. After making its debut about 4,000 years ago, chocolate can now be found everywhere. Whether you’re a fan of dark chocolate, white chocolate, or hot chocolate, there’s no denying the decadence of this rich delicacy!
International Chocolate Day is an unofficial holiday, dedicated to the sweetest and tastiest dainty in the world – chocolate. This day is celebrated on September 13, since it’s birthday of Milton S. Hershey, an American confectioner and founder of worldwide known company The Hershey Chocolate Company.
Chocolate is made from the beans of cacao tree. The beans are dried, cleaned and roasted, then the shell is removed to produce the nibs, that are later grounded to cocoa mass, that is a pure chocolate in rough form. This mass is liquefied and then processed in cocoa solids and cocoa butter. They both are used for production of chocolate.
Chocolate is very popular around the world, especially among women. Chocolate is also the most popular flavor for different types of desserts, like chocolate chip cookies, chocolate milk and chocolate ice cream.
International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste 29th September 2023 –
Between 691 and 783 million people faced hunger in 2022, with a mid-range of 735 million (FAO, 2023). While hunger and food security continue, an estimated 13 percent of the world’s food is lost in the supply chain from post-harvest prior to retail (FAO, 2022); a further 17 percent of food is wasted in households, food services and in retail (UNEP, 2021).
Currently, many of the world’s agrifood systems are unsustainable, as they degrade agricultural land, contribute to greenhouse gas emissions and loss of biodiversity and consume groundwater. Food systems are also vulnerable to external climate and other shocks, partly because of the impact on the environment.
Reducing food loss and waste can play a key role in the transformation of agrifood systems by increasing the availability of food, contributing to food security, healthy diets, and building resilience. Food loss and food waste reduction also serves as a key climate strategy by reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs). It can therefore help countries and businesses to raise climate ambition, while conserving and protecting our ecosystems and natural resources upon which the future of food depends.
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development – specifically SDG 12, target 12.3 – calls for halving per-capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels and reducing food losses along production and supply chains. Target 16 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) among other issues, also calls for “halving global food waste by 2030.”
Accelerating the pace of actions to reduce FLW toward meeting the SDG 12.3 target, and the target set by the GBF for food waste reduction is a dire necessity to positively impact the pace of agrifood system transformation – with tangible benefits for people and planet. For more details contact Food-Loss-Waste-Day@fao.org
Speciality Fine Food Fare – 11th-12th September – #SFFF23 | #SFFFNEW
Speciality & Fine Food Fair is the home of fine food & drink discovery for buyers from across the retail, hospitality, foodservice, manufacturing, import & export, and wholesale sectors.
Whether you’re looking for product inspiration for your business, or you’d like to learn the latest trends and insights from top industry experts, then we’re confident you’ll uncover the ideas you’re searching for at the Fair!
The Fair offers an unrivalled opportunity to launch new products, promote existing products and meet an elite range of buyers, hoteliers, chefs, independents, restauranteurs and many more, all under one roof. Secure your space today.
The Speciality & Fine Food Fair Awards champion all that makes our industry such a remarkable and inspiring place and the deadline to enter has now been extended to Friday 30th June! Find out what categories there are and be sure to enter.
Source: Soil Association National Today Twinkl Wrap UK News Group AHDB Food & Drink National Today ANy Day Guide FAO Food EC Specilaity & Fine Food Fair
