The organisation is driven by strong ethical and environmental values.
The directors recognise the urgency of the global climate change situation and the critical need to rapidly reduce carbon emissions from every part of human society. Climate Friendly Food takes the view that whilst Governments have a strong role to play, responsibility for reducing carbon emissions lies with each and every individual – especially in industrialised countries.
The entire food chain is responsible for about 30% of the UK's carbon emissions, so reducing emissions from this sector is a critical part in the country's overall efforts in reducing climate change. It is also an action that every person can take every day – we all need to eat and every choice we make when buying food has climate consequences. Every acre of farmland in the UK can sequester (absorb) carbon dioxide, helping to lower the concentration of carbon dioxide in the earth's atmosphere.
But climate friendly food is about more than reducing carbon emissions. Soil that is rich in organic matter is healthy soil, and soil is the single most important asset of human society. Healthy soil produces healthy crops and animals to produce healthy people. It's about strengthening the ecology, the economy and the social fabric of the country; it's about reducing dependency on oil and developing agriculture rather than agribusiness.
Climate Friendly Food has been inspired by writers, educators and speakers such as Richard Heinberg, Rob Hopkins, Mukti Mitchell and Tim Lang amongst others. It subscribes a future vision with a vibrant local food culture where healthy organic food is available to everyone, from a rich and diverse countryside. A resilient food system needs to contain a healthy mix of annual and perennial crops, demand for a nutritionally balanced diet, a reliance on renewable not fossil energy and a strong rural community.