Food Ethics Council
Food Ethics Council is a UK-registered charity (no. 1101885) that convenes civil society, business, academia, and government around ethics-led food and farming policy. It runs research programs, Business Forums, and the Food Issues Census to put people, animals and the planet at the heart of UK food decisions.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1998
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Food Ethics Council does
Food Ethics Council is a UK-registered charity (no. 1101885, Company no. 03901671) that operates as a think-tank and advocacy organization rather than a technology company. Its mission is to put people, animals and the planet at the heart of food decisions by transforming discussion around food and farming using ethics and values as the foundation. The organization investigates themes including meat, livestock and dairy, food poverty, food citizenship, and fairer business practice, and runs a portfolio of programmatic offerings: the Food Issues Census (a sector-mapping survey of 128+ UK food and farming organizations), Business Forums (in-person dinners and online workshops under Chatham House rules running for nearly 20 years), the Right to Food Programme, the Dairy Project, the Long Reads publication series, the Roots and Routes policy-coherence workshop series, and community events such as Moving Together.
The organization's products and outputs are research, convening, publications, and policy advocacy delivered through a community-led go-to-market motion — events, webinars, newsletters, blog posts, and direct engagement with UK government departments including Defra, parliamentary bodies, and civil-society networks. It does not sell products or services at standard pricing; instead, Business Forum participation and publications are free or membership-based, and the council invites donations and grant funding from supporters (charity revenue model). The team consists of four part-time staff (Executive Director Dan Crossley, Deputy Director Beth Bell based in Belfast, Project and Office Coordinator Clare Stone, and Communications Lead Sophie Paterson who joined May 2026) working remotely across the UK from a registered address at Impact Hub London Euston.
The business model is donation- and grant-funded, with strategic positioning as the only UK organization explicitly focused on putting ethics and values at the foundation of food and farming debates. The 2026-2030 strategy organizes work around three strategic pillars, and partnerships span civil society (Belfast Food Partnership, Sustain, Eating Better, Blueprint Architects, Brink!), academia (University of Leeds Global Food and Environment Institute), multilateral bodies (FAO speakers at Roots and Routes), and funders (Farming the Future, National Lottery Community Fund in an advisory capacity). The organization also holds UK-ESCR membership and operates across England, Northern Ireland, and Scotland.
Food Ethics Council firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Food Ethics Council
- Legal name
- Food Ethics Council
- Website
- https://foodethicscouncil.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1998
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Food Ethics Council is a UK-registered charity (no. 1101885) that convenes civil society, business, academia, and government around ethics-led food and farming policy. It runs research programs, Business Forums, and the Food Issues Census to put people, animals and the planet at the heart of UK food decisions.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Food Ethics Council industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Food Policy Advocacy
- NAICS
- Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Organizations (8600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems (BPAGAGAI)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems (Fair Trade, Food Access, Regenerative) (BPAGALAD), Nutrition & Food Security (Global Health) NGOs (HLAJAKAH)
Keywords
Where Food Ethics Council is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Food Ethics Council business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Donations and charitable funding: Food Ethics Council is a registered charity (no. 1101885) that relies on donations and grant funding from partners, funders, and supporters to sustain its work. The organization invites donations through its website.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Food Ethics Council product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Food Ethics Council is a UK registered charity that operates as a think-tank and advocacy organization dedicated to transforming food and farming systems through ethics and values. It delivers its mission via multi-year research programs (Food Issues Census, The Dairy Project), policy advocacy workstreams (Right to Food Programme), a member convening platform (Business Forums running for nearly 20 years), policy coherence workshop series (Roots and Routes), and long-form publications. Outputs are largely free or membership-based.
Product overview
Food Ethics Council is a UK-based registered charity (no. 1101885) that serves as a think-tank and advocacy organization rather than a technology product company. Its offerings consist of research programs, networking platforms, publications, and events focused on transforming food and farming systems using ethics and values as the foundation. The core products include the Food Issues Census (a sector-mapping research initiative), Business Forums (networking dinners and workshops for food businesses), the Right to Food Programme (policy advocacy), The Dairy Project (sector research), the Long Reads series (publications), and various events including the Roots and Routes workshop series and Moving Together community gatherings. These programs work together to put people, animals and the planet at the heart of food decisions, investigating themes including meat/livestock/dairy, food poverty, food citizenship, and fairer business practice.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Food Issues Census A comprehensive sector-mapping research initiative surveying civil society organizations working in UK food and farming to identify shared priorities and practical solutions for transforming the food system. Outputs include a published report, participating organization listings, and an Inclusion Fund. Aimed at civil society organizations, food businesses, and policymakers.
- Business Forums
Quantifiable outcome
- 128+ organizations participated in Food Issues Census 2024-2025
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Food Ethics Council
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Food Ethics Council technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Food Ethics Council partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.
- Blueprint ArchitectscoreBlueprint Architects partnered with Food Ethics Council in co-designing and delivering the Moving Together event. Their wisdom and care was foundational to the event's relational approach, and the relationship is valued for practice and friendship.
- Belfast Food PartnershipcoreFood Ethics Council's Deputy Director Beth Bell is based in Belfast, facilitating collaboration with the Belfast Food Partnership on local food system transformation. This partnership was central to the Food Issues Census 2024-2025 Belfast event.
- National Lottery Community Fund (advisory role)majorFood Ethics Council served in an advisory capacity to the National Lottery Community Fund as it developed a new Food Systems strand via its Climate Action Fund. The organization's Food Issues Census research was used to inform the fund's strategy.
- Sustain and Eating Better (JEDI Leadership Course)coreDan Crossley joined a JEDI leadership course hosted by Sustain and Eating Better, facilitated by Letesia Gibson of New Ways and funded by Farming the Future. The course is for civil society leaders wanting to accelerate integration of justice, equity, diversity and inclusion into food systems work.
- UK-ESCR (UK Economic and Social Research Council)coreFood Ethics Council is a proud member of UK-ESCR, recognizing the indivisibility of the right to food from a wider rights-based approach.
- Professor Tim Lang (External Advisory Board)coreDan Crossley sits on the External Advisory Board for the Global Food and Environment Institute at the University of Leeds, which hosted a webinar featuring Dan on the Good Food Cycle. Professor Tim Lang's resilience work is incorporated into the Food Ethics Council's policy analysis.
- Corinna Hawkes (FAO)coreCorinna Hawkes, Director of the Division of Agrifood Systems and Food Safety at FAO, is a confirmed speaker at the Roots and Routes 'When policies align' workshop organized by Food Ethics Council in October 2026.
- Brink!minorBrink! hosted the Food Issues Census Belfast event in an outdoor space with a city orchard and street art, demonstrating how place-based approaches can unlock capacity and inspire innovation.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Food Ethics Council competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- Nourish Scotland: Scotland-based food systems advocacy charity working on policy coherence and the Good Food Nation agenda. Comparable to FEC's Scotland engagement and shared right-to-food policy framing.
- Belfast Food Partnership: Northern Ireland food system coalition hosting the Food Issues Census Belfast event with FEC. Comparable as a civil-society food systems body and direct partner of FEC via Deputy Director Beth Bell.
Direct peers
- Sustain: the alliance for better food and farming: UK alliance of ~100 organizations advocating on food and farming policy. Comparable to FEC as a convening body for civil society on UK food ethics, with overlapping member organizations and policy submissions to government.
- Sustainable Food Trust: UK/global charity promoting sustainable food systems through policy advocacy, events, and publications. Directly comparable in mission and approach to FEC, with overlapping themes around food ethics, livestock, and supply chain transparency.
- Food Foundation: UK food-focused charity publishing the annual Plating Up Progress data and policy briefings. Directly comparable to FEC as a UK food systems think tank advocating on diet, poverty, and sustainability, with overlapping policy-maker audiences.
- IPES-Food (International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems): Global think tank producing influential reports on sustainable food systems, including the concept of "food policy coherence." Comparable to FEC in its focus on ethics, values, and systemic food system reform via research and convening.
Broad incumbents
- Soil Association: Larger UK charity focused on organic, sustainable food and farming, with certification, farming programs, and policy work. Comparable in the UK food and farming policy space but with much broader operational scope (certification) than FEC's pure ethics and advocacy focus.
- Compassion in World Farming: Larger global animal welfare advocacy organization engaging UK and EU policymakers on farming practices. Comparable to FEC on the animal welfare dimension of food ethics, though with a single-issue animal-welfare focus.
Emerging players
- Global Alliance for the Future of Food: Philanthropic alliance working on values-based food system transformation globally. Comparable to FEC's ethics-and-values framing of food debates and as a peer convener across civil society.
- Eating Better: UK alliance working to shift consumption toward less and better meat and dairy. Directly comparable to FEC's Dairy Project and Meat, Livestock and Dairy theme, and partner on the JEDI leadership course.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Food Ethics Council social profiles
Digital presenceFood Ethics Council financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Food Ethics Council leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Food Ethics Council funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Food Ethics Council M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Food Ethics Council
What does Food Ethics Council do?
Food Ethics Council is a UK registered charity that operates as a think-tank and advocacy organization dedicated to transforming food and farming systems through ethics and values. It delivers its mission via multi-year research programs (Food Issues Census, The Dairy Project), policy advocacy workstreams (Right to Food Programme), a member convening platform (Business Forums running for nearly 20 years), policy coherence workshop series (Roots and Routes), and long-form publications. Outputs are largely free or membership-based.
Is Food Ethics Council a public or private company?
Food Ethics Council is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Food Ethics Council founded?
Food Ethics Council was founded in 1998. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Food Ethics Council based?
Food Ethics Council is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Food Ethics Council make money?
One revenue line is on record: donations and charitable funding.
Who are Food Ethics Council's main competitors?
Regional players on record are Nourish Scotland and Belfast Food Partnership. Direct peers are Sustain: the alliance for better food and farming, Sustainable Food Trust, Food Foundation and IPES-Food (International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems). Broad incumbents are Soil Association and Compassion in World Farming. Emerging players are Global Alliance for the Future of Food and Eating Better.
Does Food Ethics Council have an API?
No public API is recorded for Food Ethics Council.
What industry is Food Ethics Council in?
Food Ethics Council's product category is Food Policy Advocacy. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAGAI, Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems, with a secondary code of BPAGALAD, Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems (Fair Trade, Food Access, Regenerative). Its NAICS code is 813 and its SIC code is 8600.