LONDON, United Kingdom — As large, widespread fast food chains have been pressured and prodded to lower the environmental impacts of their businesses, the same has not been asked of independent quick-service cafes and takeout spots, resulting in many offering unhealthy food with little incentive to improve the sustainability of their operations.

The U.K.-based New Economics Foundation (NEF) writes about the state of sustainability, healthfulness of food and social conditions in the so-called "casual eating" sector in its new report, "An Inconvenient Sandwich: The Throwaway Economics of Takeaway Food." Although the group based its report on interviews with cafe and quick-service restaurants in south London, the overall message is applicable elsewhere: The casual eating sector must be included in discussions and policies to increase the sustainability of the food industry.

The British spend around £10 billion ($15.6 billion) a year on food from small cafes, takeout locations and fast food spots that aren't part of chains, according to the NEF.

The majority of locations the NEF spoke with said it would be difficult to make changes like sourcing food locally, using more seasonal products, choosing organic or Fairtrade items, and providing recyclable packaging. However, the businesses were not totally opposed to the ideas. But in order to take them up, they said they would need help, guidance and, more importantly, laws or regulations that would require them and competitors to all do the same thing.

Cost and customer expectations are the main barriers for the businesses, since they don't want to increase their costs, and thus charge higher prices that could drive customers away, and they also aren't hearing any demands from customers for more sustainable meals.

The NEF points out that big chains like McDonald's have more power and ability to bring healthier food with lower environmental impacts through their supply chains than the smaller cafes, making it possible for the increasing demand for sustainability in the food industry to allow bigger companies to drive out independent locations.

Outside of one organic cafe that NEF spoke with, most of the business owners use plenty of food from wholesalers, know little of how the food was process or where it came from, and are constrained both by what the suppliers offer and with trying to meet customer expectations of what basic items should always be available. In doing so, price and convenience win over any thought of choosing local, seasonal or organic foods.

On the other hand, if businesses were to all start offering a higher standard or sustainable food, prices could go up, making the food unaffordable to many. The NEF cautions that any push towards sustainability needs to also make sure that food is not only available to a few people and also provides a decent living for the people handling and selling the food.

Casual eating establishments, the NEF says, need to be recognized as valuable to local economics, and need supportive policies and services to provide the advice and impetus to make changes. There also needs to be a more robust discussion about what governments and other businesses can do to help move more in the industry to more sustainable practices.

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