This guide, published in May 2009, describes why the sustainability of food is important, provides guidance on what hospitals can do to improve the sustainability of the food they provide to patients, staff and visitors, and advises on how hospitals can assure the sustainability of their food service provision. The guide provides practical guidance, signposting and uses case study examples to illustrate some of the initiatives currently being taken by the health sector.

This study was undertaken in 2007/8 by Cranfield University, AEA and others for Defra, and looks at the supply chains of seven food commodity groups, comparing UK-based with imported production across a range of environmental impacts areas, including GHG emissions.

Defra and the Natural Environment Research Council have announced funding for a five-year, ~£12 million study into the effects of climate change on Britain's seas. The research programme will focus on the North-East Atlantic (including European shelf and slope), Antarctic and Arctic Oceans and will aim to: Improve estimates of ocean CO2 uptake and associated acidification. Evaluate the impact of acidification on ocean biogeochemical processes.