Nationally CPRE is pressing for much more to be done to support local food networks and grow the economic, social and environmental benefits they bring.
CPRE recommends:
• Government should re-examine competition policy to support retail diversity and the ability of new local food entrepreneurs to enter the market; develop national planning policy guidance to provide stronger support for a sustainable food system; improve the ability of the planning system to ensure the vitality of town centres, as Mary Portas recommended in her recent high street review; and provide strong leadership on sustainable food procurement.
• Local authorities and other public bodies should form partnerships to develop food strategies and action plans; local planning authorities should update their local plans and include policies to support local food webs.
• Businesses should work together to promote awareness, access, affordability and availability of local food.
• Supermarket chains should set themselves demanding targets for stocking and selling local food in ways which reinforce consumer awareness and trust.
• Community groups should develop and engage in initiatives to shape their local food networks – case studies in the "From Field to Fork: Yeovil" report and CPRE's local food web mapping toolkit offer a range of ideas on this.
Locally we can do our bit, too. CPRE Somerset's vision is that everyone should be able to walk into a shop, supermarket or restaurant and find high-quality, affordable local food which is produced in a way that benefits the environment, or at the very least does not harm it.
We can all support local food through our shopping choices, asking questions about where food comes from, and how it is produced. Somerset has market gardens, free-range meat producers, dairies, orchards and fabulous Farmers Markets. Try to source about 30% of your food from within a 30 mile radius of your home: we recommend people try a 30:30 diet for a month and find out more about their local food. And it's great for the local economy too!
