Bridging the Gap: through local retail

Join us as we discuss how local food retailers can be supported to enable access to climate and nature friendly food for all.

Organic food that is good for health, for the planet and affordable for all hits a number of health and climate targets that the UK is committed to. However, policy commitments that would enable everyone, regardless of their income level, to access climate friendly fruit and vegetables, don’t follow through. Sustain’s Bridging the Gap is exploring how these issues can be addressed.

Even if climate and nature friendly food was more affordable, if there are no grocers or retailers selling this fruit and veg, we still won’t achieve our mission. Traditional fruit and veg markets and high streets are in decline and we know issues around access don’t just relate to the price gap. Food access is also about availability where people live and we cannot rely on supermarkets with their drive for lower prices, at the expense of the supply chains and the environment. We need diversity and choice for consumers.

We want to show how local food retail can feel relevant to people from all walks of life, to see it as the hub of community, a place of meaningful work and a system that circulates wealth locally. 

In this online talk, you will hear from expert speakers on the subject of local retail in the UK and the policy commitments required to make organic food accessible to all via these routes. 

There will be plenty of opportunities to raise issues and ask questions of your own, so please register today to join the discussion.

Chair:

• Rachel Jones, Sustain

Speakers:

• Carol Adams, Cardiff Farmers Market
• Beth Bell, Carrick Greengrocers
• Julie Kirby-Smith, Better Food Traders