ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY
& PURCHASING POLICIES

By working with like-minded organisations, we will ensure that we place ethical responsibility, knowledge & education in the mind of all members of our team. Our aim is to reconnect our gastronomy with all the aspects of our food production; be it soil, ecosystems or our own farming land & producers. Every choice we make must be responsible, so we can help create a sustainable food chain.

CSR POLICY

Rare is committed to improving its environmental impact on the local & global community through ethical & sustainable policies. We encourage & influence our staff, suppliers & clients to help us create a more sustainable business.

PURCHASING POLICIES

We choose our suppliers carefully & visit producers whenever possible. This means we are satisfied that acceptable standards of stocking densities, medication & feed are met (allowing us to assure our clients’ safety). We rely on reputable assurance schemes & government-regulated standards. We take pride in these high standards & our clients should expect nothing less.

DAIRY

• Our eggs must be free-range or organic.
• 30% or more of our cheese is from British artisan producers & the remainder of all our cheese comes from within Europe.
• Data sheets are kept for all produce.
• We ensure all suppliers/produce fall/s under at least one of our chosen assurance schemes.
• We carry out regular tasting sessions on all produce to include local, recommended, past, present & new suppliers to find the best quality product.

VEGETABLES

• To respect the rules of seasonality.
• To use produce from local farms & growers as much as possible.
• To endeavour not to use any genetically modified (GM) produce.
• To use organic where possible – if not we use a quality assurance scheme such as LEAF.
• To carry out periodical tasting sessions on all produce.
• To use our experience & knowledge so we can choose food which is traceable, ethical & from a sustainable source.

FISH

We adhere to the following principles when buying fish & seafood:

• Our suppliers to be accountable & responsible.
• To not utilise fish during their spawning season.
• To ensure we know the minimum size for all species we use.
• To use fish caught by sustainable, ethical methods for each species, as advised by MSC (i.e. line caught, hand dived, etc.).
• We only serve fish that is rated 1-3 by the MCS.
• When sustainable fisheries are unavailable, we will use fish from the best quality, organically farmed fisheries.

We buy solely from R. Green Fisheries as they are committed to sourcing sustainably & we applaud their strict sourcing policies & provenance.

MEAT

• All meat products must be free-range as a minimum standard & organic where possible.
• Data sheets to be kept for produce.
• To ensure all suppliers/produce falls under at least one of our chosen assurance schemes.
• To carry out periodical tasting sessions on all produce.
• Game suppliers to have current licenses & periodic audits by law.

INITIATIVES

• Can crushing scheme.
• Fat waste recycling.
• Glass & paper recycling.
• Using tap water or if not Belu water as our primary supplier.
• Food waste recycling.
• Initiating energy & water use audits.
• We use greenplanet 100% recycled chlorine free print paper & an eco-printer.

STAFF

• At Rare we treat our staff with respect & care.
• We pay every team member above the London living wage & supply every team member, even freelancers with a contract.
• We offer free staff meals, training & supplier visits as well as other rewards & incentives.
• We regularly recruit through charity & restorative recruitment agencies.

COMMUNITY & CHARITY

• We work closely with chosen charities & schools.
• We hire some key members of our team through restorative recruitment organisation Working Chance.
• We encourage staff to get involved in various initiatives.
• We offer direct assistance to environmental & community arts based charities & deliver excess food to our local hospice.