Shropshire Good Food Partnership (SGFP) has been established to create a local food system which is good for people, place and planet. We bring people together from across the County representing all aspects of the food system, from growers to retailers, to those involved with food banks and food festivals, community organisations, academic institutions, and the local Councils.
We are incorporated as a CIC with a vision for regenerative food, farming and land-use systems and clear objectives. We have a small number of Directors, a Steering Group and a growing membership. Our Steering Group is made up of people from across the County representing different parts of the food system and who engage as leaders of Working Groups, subject matter experts and ambassadors. They meet monthly to provide strategic direction and to enable effective coordination.
SGFP builds on the foundation created by Shropshire Food Poverty Alliance (SFPA), create a wider network taking a systemic approach to food which brings together people and organisations working on public health and wellbeing, community services and social care, climate change and sustainability, business growth and enterprise development, commissioning and procurement. Initial funds from Shropshire Council supported scoping and then establishment of the partnership.
SGFP has created a Good Food Charter, our statement of intent, outlining the principles of good food and how to get involved and take positive action. We are using the Charter to build a good food movement and drive participation and accountability. We create awareness through social media, sharing stories and mapping.
We have reached out to Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin Councils to develop food strategies as local responses to the National Food Strategy and Levelling Up White Paper. We have been engaging town and parish council members and can now launch our Good Food Challenge to develop webs of coordinated action.
Six working groups have been established:
Our aim is to further develop the partnership working and activities across the food system to enable Shropshire to achieve the SFP Bronze Award.
As a rural county we have a strong focus on land issues and have particularly broad producer engagement. We can play a leadership role in food partnership thinking on reimaging land stewardship; responding to the emerging crisis in farming, the growing need for food resilience and challenge of rising food poverty.
Current prriorities are to:
Increase access to local, seasonal produce in food banks through integrating growing initiatives and establishing a gleaning network to salvage surplus food and redistribute it.
Work with local producers to better connect with consumers, through creating hyper-localized food marketing opportunities, an MSME food marketing support hub and exploring dynamic procurement.
Engage able and mentally & physically challenged people in producing food and benefitting from nature connection.
Promote agro-ecological approaches and regenerative farming at scale across the County.
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