Many churches are not addressing the ethical implications of food, according to a survey of over 600 regular churchgoers in the UK.
The study, carried out for the environmental charity Green Christian looked at a range of contexts in which churches serve food and found that only a small proportion of respondents (12%) indicated that their local church ‘always’ took ethical issues into account. Just over a third (35%) replied that ethical issues were considered ‘sometimes’. More than half replied ‘no’ (22%) or ‘don't know’ (31%). Green Christian said this suggests a lack of ethical commitment and is a “missed opportunity for demonstrating ethical practices that would protect the environment and help the poor.”
The important role food plays in the life of the church was also highlighted with 93% of respondents indicating that their church serves refreshments after the Sunday service. Almost 40% said food was also incorporated into church life through ‘bring and share’ lunches, meals for the elderly or groups such as Alpha.
In addition, many churches are involved in community projects such as food banks (reported by 67% of respondents) and soup kitchens, while a small proportion sell food, such as Fairtrade items, or run projects that involve growing food. However, many churches were found choosing not to use Fairtrade products, with less than a quarter of respondents (24%) saying their church had considered using Fairtrade or organic wine (or grape juice) for a Holy Communion / Eucharist service.
Tim Cooper, Emeritus Professor of Sustainable Design and Consumption at Nottingham Trent University and a Trustee of Green Christian, who led the research, expressed concern at the findings:
“Our survey confirms the important role of food in the life of churches, whether refreshments after services, celebratory events, or supporting the poor and needy. Sadly, it found that too few churches address ethical concerns about the food system in these ministries. It is time for every local church to develop and apply an ethical food policy.
“There may be different outcomes when churches and churchgoers discuss food. Some will favour plant-based diets to address climate change, while others may prefer to focus on organic produce or animal welfare. But complexity does not justify disregarding these important concerns. Nor does cost. Although we recognise genuine economic constraints, too often cost is used as an excuse not to make more ethical purchases.”
However he added that there were “signs of hope” with thousands of churches registered with the Eco Church initiative, which he said “encourages them to apply the LOAF principles promoted by Green Christian – food which is Locally produced, Organically grown, Animal friendly and Fairly traded.”
The survey revealed significant variation in food-related activities between different types of church. Events at which food is served are especially common in Church of England churches. A relatively high proportion of Roman Catholic survey respondents indicated their churches ‘rarely’ or ‘never’ served refreshments after services, did not serve food at events and, when they did, were least likely to take ethical issues into account. Pentecostal churches were most likely to provide snacks and sweets.
The final findings from the survey, exploring the food choices made by churchgoers in their daily lives, will be released next month.