ON LOCAL LastWord
FOODLOVER INVESTIGATES THE IMPORTANCE OF WEST COUNTRY PRODUCERS TO THE LOCAL ECONOMY
What does the term‘local food community’mean to you andwhy is yours special to you? This relates to all the great peoplewework with locallywhowork hard to produce great food products for everyone to enjoy. I really appreciate the relationshipswe have with these companies and it is a pleasure to workwith themon a day-to-day basis. Interestingly, our food community covers a wider area aswe search formore interesting products but it is alwaysmore personalworkingwith regional products rather than companies further afield
What inspires you to support your local producers? The quality and innovative products that local producersmake is always an inspiration to us all, and if you are a foodie it is really exciting to seewhat our food producers are coming up with.We are an incredibly entrepreneurial country andwe need to celebrate our creative success. I love talking to and helping peoplewho are looking to start a business, as these people will end up supporting our local community with employment and will offermore great products.
What are your thoughts on the convenience offered by local producers? It is actually not that easy to offer convenience to consumers on local products if you consider the
66 | THE WEST COUNTRY FOODLOVER
convenience of amultiple retailer. But with the growth of home deliveries of local products andmore farmshops offering bigger ranges of products there is no doubt that you can buy local conveniently. You will get value formoney based on the quality that it offers, but until the larger retailers start to offermore local food to support these suppliers itwill be difficult to compete.
Is buying local becomingmore affordable? Yes I believe it is if you use local stores and some online retailers. In some cases local produce, particularlymeat and vegetables is cheaper bought fromyour local butcher
EmmaMacdonald Director atThe BayTree Food Company
or greengrocer, but unless you have lots of time to compare prices it is difficult to confirm.What I can say is thatmeat and veg inmy opinion is better quality and fresher if bought locally.
Howwill growth in support for local producers benefit the local economy? Buying localwill allowus to hold on to our local stores and the community spirit that this brings. Ifwe do not use these stores theywill shut andwewill be leftwith only being able to use largemultiples and their metro stores. Thiswill dramatically reduce the amount of different foods on offer and inmy viewwill reduce the quality of product thatwe can buy. Thiswould have amassive impact on certain sectors of the population,with employment and local producerswho cannot afford toworkwith the largemultiples. The issuewe have here is not howitwill benefit the economy but more to dowithwhat happens ifwe do not support local!
Howcan FOODLOVERS get involved with their food communities? Look out for local food and drink festivals being advertised in your local newspaper, take a trip to your local butcher or village shop as they are always a hive of information. See if you can find a local delivery service supplying local food, whichwill probably promote offers and events going on in the community.
Do you feel it’s important that the next generation learn about traceability and food culture?Why? Yes, as good food culture leads to good eating habits. It is important to knowwhat you are eating andwhere it comes from, butmymain concern for the future is being able to have good quality sustainable food. Years agowe used to teach our children to cook fromscratch andmany cultures continue to do this allowing themto look after themselves. Food is so convenient nowthat people do not need to cook, but we aremissing out on giving our children a leg up in life if they do not knowhowto feed themselves healthily, as thiswill continue throughout their life and the next generation. For the sake of the futurewe all need to bemore considered inwhat and howmuchwe buy.
Lastword: Make themost of everymeal and try and find time to eat with friends and family so you enjoy the experience.
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