Organic pioneer receives MBE in New Year’s Honours

Credit: Better Food

Bristol-based retailer Better Food is celebrating the inclusion of its founder, Phil Haughton, in the 2024 New Year’s Honours List for services to Sustainable Food Initiatives and the local community. 

Haughton’s MBE serves as recognition of his lifelong commitment to creating a fairer food system, from his Soil Association membership at aged 14 to becoming an award-winning ethical retailer and author. With local and organic at the heart of its offer, Better Food has four bricks and mortar stores across Bristol, along with a significant online presence, with each arm of the business supporting Haughton’s 40-year fight for food justice and a ‘more sustainable world for all’.

In 2021 Haughton (pictured below) penned his first book, Food for Thought – a collection of stories (along with tips and recipes) about a life devoted to ‘spreading the organic word’. A champion of community schemes, businesses rooted in the South West and ‘the hard-working hands of organic farmers’, he has spent his career advocating tirelessly for the issues he believes are crucial to maintaining a balance between food and nature. 

CREDIT: BETTER FOOD

“When I think about what has always got me out of bed, it’s really simple. Justice. I hold a huge passion to see justice done, for our soil, our farmers, our children and all communities,” Haughton comments. 

“I’m delighted to receive this MBE. I have so much gratitude for our farmers, the Better Food team and our customers for supporting me on this journey of championing sustainable food in Bristol and beyond. I’ve been inspired by many people along the way and it’s an honour to be recognized for the work that I’m so passionate about.”

By Rosie Greenaway, editor