Bournemouth: BH Live awarded five-star status for sustainability

BH Live has been awarded five stars, the highest possible accolade, from the Sustainable Food City Partnership, for its outstanding commitment to sustainable food purchasing and activities in venues across the south.

The Sustainable Food City Partnership promotes and rewards businesses in the Bournemouth & Poole area for embracing sustainable food business practices. It assesses organisations across five key categories: sourcing local products, sourcing sustainably, managing waste and recycling, working with communities and communication.

To achieve a five-star status an organisation must demonstrate its commitment to each of the five categories and give examples of how it is achieving results.

BH Live has demonstrated that it is committed to buying ingredients from sustainable sources, and locally wherever possible. It supports Dorset and Hampshire dairy farmers to get a fair price for their products and purchases local vegetables including asparagus, Dorset leaves, New Forest Mushrooms, Hampshire watercress and Isle of Wight tomatoes.

It plays an active role in the Sustainable Food Cities/Fish Cities partnership, paying particular attention to sustainable fishing and farming methods and supporting local initiatives and events to promote provenance, such as New Forest Marque Food Safaris, Sustainable Food Cities Restaurant Hops and Bournemouth’s Food Festival.

Fresh, locally produced ingredients are sourced from businesses operating sustainable and ethical processes. And food miles are reduced by sourcing ingredients within a 60-mile radius of the venues, where possible.

Its procurement strategy favours suppliers with strong environmental and social ethics and last year the supply chain was rationalised to incorporate as many local producers and products as possible to include Hutchings Bros Seafood and Game, Wrights Dairies, Springfield Butchers, Purbeck Ice Cream, Capreolus Fine Foods, Chalke Valley Cheese, Dorset Blue Vinny, and Harvest Fine Foods. Southbourne ales are also used in many of its dishes for large banquets, awards and events at Bournemouth International Centre and Bournemouth Pavilion.

Sustainability is a prevailing factor in all BH Live’s operations, including procurement, facilities management, venue operations and catering. Divine Chocolate, Belu water, Fairtrade products and ethically sourced coffee beans are procured to sell across its venues. This has a direct impact on farming communities around the world.

In signing the Sustainable Fish Cities pledge too, BH Live is committed to source its seafood products only from accredited sustainable producers. And when catering for London-based events, BH Live works with Southbank Fresh Fish, the most sustainably accredited fish provider in the UK. 

Packaging, cardboard and food waste is recycled in conjunction with Bournemouth Borough Council. And recycled, compostable and recyclable packaging is used across its Terrace cafés. Customers at conferences and exhibitions are encouraged to recycle plastics and staff encouraged to recycle where possible.