With local food speeding up the local and political agenda, with consumers increasingly demanding to know more about what they are eating and where it comes from and with national retailers seeking ways to cost-effectively devote space to local foods, Gloucestershire's unique ëBuy Local' campaign is not only being hailed as a standard-setting example of best practice but is now to be rolled-out throughout the South West.
Showcased to MPs on November 6 at the House of Commons in a bid to secure further national support, the Gloucestershire campaign, headed by South West Food & Drink ñ the trade association dedicated to the development of the food and drink industry in the South West, has uniquely brought together diverse partners throughout the food chain who are working together to create a strategy for local food procurement and local producer support that quite literally brings the Curry report to life.
Alongside coordination of the efforts of all those involved in helping develop the local food supply chain, the campaign has provided extended regional promotion through the pages of Gloucestershire's leading evening newspaper, The Citizen, plus skills training for producers to help them meet the stringent demands of national and independent retailers, institutional purchasers, caterers, hoteliers and restaurateurs, as well as the general public.
“While local food procurement is regularly talked about, the progress often ends there ñ a lot of talk and not enough action,” claimed Richard Hunter, managing director of South West Food and Drink. “The Gloucestershire ëBuy Local' campaign has been a significant success because it focuses on action. Partners throughout the food chain have been brought together to form a unique Strategy Group where everyone has an equal voice and takes responsibility for making change happen. By working together and sharing ideas, we have avoided the long-standing problem of duplication of effort and of funds. It's this approach that we will now be seeking to duplicate throughout the south west and are committed to ensuring that all counties throughout the South West adopt a similar campaign.”
With research from the Institute of Grocery Distribution (IGD) showing that 59 per cent of consumers would like to ëbuy local', but only nine per cent actually do, the whole issue of local food is a hot potato and with a broad group of local food producers in the Gloucestershire region, the scope to increase local food procurement is extensive, he added. Yet, while the Curry report provides national direction and highlights the need for sustainability and local food procurement, campaigns like the Gloucestershire ëBuy Local' have an equally important role to play in making the vision of local food a practical reality.
“There is absolutely no doubt that local people want to buy local food”, said Clare Gerbrands, project manager for Gloucestershire Food Links and Made in Stroud Ltd, which organises several of the county's farmers' markets and runs an accreditation scheme in partnership with trading standards and environmental health officers. “Over the years the path from farm to table has grown longer, resulting in a food industry that often delivers poor value to both the farmer and consumer. Recent food scares have made a lot of people want to buy fresh, tasty local food, food that they know they can trust. As a result many farmers are now beginning to realise the benefits of selling direct to the consumer.”
Taking its responsibilities seriously is Oxford, Swindon & Gloucester Co-op which has been a part of the campaign since the start. OS&G Co-op is focused on supporting local foods with its new Local Harvest range ensuring that as many stores as possible stock locally-sourced goods to support local producers and rural communities.
O, S & G Co-op's Adrian Barradell stressed that it is up to retailers to help turn the 'want to buy' desires into reality. "Supermarkets play a key role in the process of getting local foods from the rural producers directly to the consumer. As a locally owned, co-operative society we have made this commitment. A significant part of this process is the support that we and other partners are giving to producers to help them meet the rigorous health, hygiene, packaging and labelling standards that are required by national stockists".
But it's not just the supermarkets that are starting to take the issue of local food more seriously, said Robert Rees, food expert and chef: “January 2003 will see the launch of a new concept in Food Policy Making ñ The Gloucester Food Vision, which will take a far reaching look at devising a long term policy for food in Gloucestershire.”
Combined, the commitment from South West Food & Drink to developing action-focused ëBuy Local' campaigns throughout the South West and the willingness of local authorities to not only consider the benefits of buying local, but actually making this a local policy really is change that Richard Hunter feels is well worth having.
“The Buy Local campaign in Gloucestershire is truly unique, not only in that it has brought together diverse groups and encouraged all to work in partnership to the greater good, but in that it has been a real driver and inspiration for change.”
