Food Ethics Council

Who we are

The Food Ethics Council is a registered charity that provides independent advice on the ethics of food and farming. We work on problems relating to food and farming where the right answer is not obvious.

Our mission is to put people, animals and the planet at the heart of every food decision. We ask the hard questions on contentious food issues that others won’t or can’t. We bring our independent voice and expertise from our Council and networks - across civil society, business and government.

Our contribution to making food systems in the UK fair for all is through:

• Asking deeper questions about power, risk and impact
• Creating trusted spaces for difficult conversations that build capacity for more ethical change
• Connecting diverse changemakers to build collective capabilities (power) and develop ‘in the round’ solutions
• Shifting narratives from symptoms and quick fixes to root causes

Our work includes bringing food and farming changemakers together to address root causes and develop 'in the round' solutions, building the case for ethical food systems, and joint advocacy work promoting inclusivity and fairness on food and farming policy.

Our culture and values

We have flexible working and an open and supportive culture. Staff must be able to work independently and be willing to contribute ideas, to challenge and be challenged.

Our values underpin everything we do and the behaviours we expect to see, the way we will act and expect those we work alongside to adhere to:

• We care
• We are open
• We are brave
• We are reflective
• We are curious

Equality, diversity and inclusion policy

The Food Ethics Council is firmly committed to diversity in all areas of its work, including social diversity. There are many different aspects to social diversity including, but not limited to age, disability, gender, sexual orientation, race and religion or belief. We believe that we have much to learn from the many ethnic groups and diverse cultures which constitute society and from their understanding and perspectives. We also recognise that diversity itself can strengthen our organisation and make it more effective in achieving its aims.

As an organisation focused on ethics, we strongly believe in the value of diversity, including considering how courses of action look from the perspectives of a range of different interest groups. Our work towards fair, resilient and biodiverse food systems involves embracing diversity. We value diversity of thought and diversity in how we work, and want to be relevant and accessible to all. When our work includes stakeholders or public involvement processes, we will endeavour to involve people who will bring a wide range of perspectives.

We see a key role for the Food Ethics Council as being to recognise that ethical issues in the food system interact with other cultural issues such as race, gender and class. A holistic decision-making framework on food issues would need to take account of such intersecting issues. Hence, we see an important part of our role as being to make ourselves and our stakeholders more aware of those intersections. Ethical decision-making in food needs to take account of those issues and ensure that decisions seek to correct existing injustices or inequalities (e.g. ethnic minorities or those living with disability in food deserts).

We are committed to developing and maintaining an organisation in which differing ideas, abilities, backgrounds and needs are fostered and valued, and where those with diverse backgrounds and experiences are able to participate and contribute.