We are rightly proud of our wholesale markets in the UK. They have an illustrious history of providing fresh food to our local communities for centuries. The history of many runs for hundreds of years and the ‘six and two-thirds mile rule’, enshrined in Common Law, can be traced right back to the Middle Ages.

But the sad fact is that numbers are diminishing and many local authorities seem to have neglected their markets, being content to take rent without re-investing in modernisation. There are pockets, such as in the City of London, Manchester, Western International and at Borough Market, where modernisation has happened, but they are few and far between. A study by the Greater London Assembly, published in 2007, reckons that there are about 180 retail and street markets in London, but it could not identify precisely how many, or how many were food-orientated, how much investment there had been in them in recent years, or even who within many boroughs actually took responsibility for their management.

One of the striking things one notices when attending meetings of the World Union of Wholesale Markets (WUWM) around the world, and especially in Europe, is just how different things are in other countries, where both wholesale and retail markets thrive, where they are an important part of the social fabric of towns and cities, and are valued by their municipal authorities for creating employment. Many of us travel to France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, and Germany either on business or holiday and cannot fail to notice the prosperity of their markets and wonder why, at home, markets are something of a Cinderella industry.

This has led to us in London deciding to take an active role in raising the profile of wholesale markets and communicating their role in the food supply chain more strongly, which ties in well with the objectives of the London Food Strategy, at a time when fresh food, especially if produced locally or regionally, is becoming increasingly important on the political agenda. From this, the idea of having a Wholesale Markets Month developed, spanning parts of September and October this year, so as to publicise them in conjunction with a number of already planned food events, such as British Food Fortnight, the Restaurant Show and the National Fruit Show.

The publicity will aim to remind disparate audiences - ranging from political leaders in the London boroughs, to foodservice and catering firms, hotels, restaurants, independent retailers, and retail and street markets - just how much wholesale markets contribute to the supply chain and the community as a whole. The month will culminate with a symposium, to which the Mayor of London, who visited a number of markets during his election campaign, has been invited to give the keynote address. From this, we hope to re-invigorate the Association of London Markets as the mechanism by which the markets can work together to promote themselves more positively. We look forward to working closely with the National Association of British Market Authorities (NABMA) as part of a joined-up national campaign.