Regional & local food - working group
Cross-Departmental Working Group
In 2002 Defra established a cross-departmental Working Group on Local Food. This had members from Defra, Department of Health, Countryside Agency and Food Standards Agency, as well as support from a number of other government departments.
The Working Group on Local Food considered the evidence relating to the impacts of local food initiatives and the wider issues related to local food to help inform government policy-making. The Working Group sought to review all the available evidence and to gather as many views as possible from a wide breadth of stakeholders and made visits to the local food sector in all the administrative regions of England.
The report "Local Food: A Snapshot of the Sector" presents the collation and interpretation of the information collected. This report does not represent Government policy but was used to inform the process of creating a Government strategy for local food.
- Local Food: A Snapshot of the Sector - Report (PDF 200 KB)
- Local Food: A Snapshot of the Sector - Appendices (PDF 400 KB)
Defra Policy Paper
Following on from the report Defra prepared (revised - 22/10/2003) a local food policy paper.(PDF 40 KB).
Other Departments and Agencies (including the Food Standards Agency) will also be considering what action they need to take in the light of the Working Group's report.
Local Sourcing
As part of the Rural Action campaign, the Institute of Grocery Distribution (IGD) and Business in the Community published the report 'Local Sourcing - Growing Rural Businesses'. It aims to help the increasing number of rural small businesses who are producing local food and drink products by demonstrating how local sourcing, if conducted in the right way, can be sound business practice for all involved.
Local Sourcing- Growing Rural Businesses'
The Institute of Grocery Distribution (IGD) also undertook, with Defra support, a series of workshops around the country to bring together local producers with the large retailers and food service companies to discuss how to promote local sourcing and overcome barriers to it. Their report Includes:
- how small food producers are meeting consumer needs
- key routes to market
- useful contacts & advisory services
- Growing rural business (external site)
Useful Links
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Page last modified: 23 August 2007