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A sustainable idea: why the Sustainable Restaurant Association is good news for all of us. By Jo Hill.

 When you’re buying fish, meat or veg in the supermarket it’s easy enough to tell if it’s organic, where it has come from and even the name of the farmer who has grown or reared it! Not so in a restaurant, where it’s a question of trusting that the beef you’re tucking into really is ‘sustainble Aberdeen Angus from our local Cherry Tree Farm’. Increasingly, discerning diners are keen to know that the restaurant they’re eating at sources its produce ethically – a survey has shown that people are prepared to pay more for sustainably caught fish, for example, just as they’d pay a premium in the supermarket.

With these values in mind, the Sustainable Restaurant Association – a not-for-profit organisation - was launched in March this year. Its aim is to help restaurants to become as sustainable as possible, and for this to be recognised by consumers who will then choose these restaurants over the one down the road that hasn’t signed up. Restaurants pay a fee to join, based on their turnover, but it’s true to say that if they sign up they’ll make cost savings and probably increase their customer base, as well as being able to tap into the expertise of the SRA, who can advise on waste management, energy efficiency etc.

To become a member, each restaurant has to promise to implement at least three pledges from the list of 30. This can mean easy changes such as providing tap water free of charge, switching to a green energy tariff (restaurants have found that cutting their energy bills by just 5% has the same effect on their bottom line as a 20% increase in turnover), promising to pay the minimum wage and making sure that staff receive 100% of tips, as well as buying their food from sustainable suppliers and focusing on local produce where possible. It’s not a quick fix, but signing up to be a member is the first step in working towards these goals.

 Once a member, all aspects of the business can be audited – auditors talk to staff and management and check with suppliers that organic/sustainable claims are justified. Consumers can play their part too. The Sustainable Restaurant Association offers postcards – Are you at the Table? (right) – which you can download from their website. When you’ve enjoyed a meal, hand one to the restaurant you’ve eaten it – it asks them if they’ll sign up to the SRA and tells them how to do it. The idea is that, with time, the scheme will become a benchmark for diners, helping them to choose the best place to eat. Ed Franklin of SRA says: “Ultimately, as the scheme becomes more widespread, people will be able to make the same choices when eating out as they do when shopping in the supermarket.”

So far, over 200 restaurants – including Leon, Carluccio’s and Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons – have all signed up. The SRA is aiming for 1000 members by March next year.

For more information and to download postcards to give out in restaurants, please visit www.thesra.org

 

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