Sign the Eat Local petition (From Daily Echo)
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Do you want to be able to buy more local food in local shops? Then tell someone!
10:53am Wednesday 9th December 2009 in Eat Local
Sign the Eat Local petition
IN August the Southern Daily Echo launched our Eat Local Wednesdays campaign to encourage everyone in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight to eat local food at least once a week.
Today we are launching a new petition so you can sign up to let local shops and restaurants that you want to be able to buy local produce there.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN THE PETITION
Local produce is food and drink that has been grown, reared or caught in the area.
Buying local produce, rather than food that has been shipped or flown from the other side of the world, has lots of benefits.
It drastically reduces food miles and therefore cuts down on greenhouse gasses that cause global warming.
It supports local businesses and communities, providing jobs for local people.
It protects regional food security. Oil prices have been steadily rising and as the oil supply begins to run out the price of food imports is set to shoot up. It’s important to have the infrastructure of local people producing local food rather than costly imports.
It’s often fresher and tastes better!
There’s often the perception that local food is more expensive. Not only is that often not the case – for instance local seasonal vegetables can be much cheaper than out of season ones that have been flown thousands of miles – but also, as the demand for local food increases and it becomes more readily available the price is likely to drop.
There are already lots of great places to buy local food in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight but we want there to be more of them!
It is not always practical to go to a specialist shop or farmers’ market to do your shopping and convenience and practicality often win out over the best of intentions.
This is why we want more local shops to support local producers by stocking their food and drink, so that it’s easier for you to buy and eat local.
We understand that many small shopkeepers and restaurateurs are struggling in the current climate and may feel that they can’t take the gamble of switching to a local supplier or changing their stock.
So we are launching this petition as a way you can let them know that if they sell local food, you will buy it!
We have been working with local Transition Towns, which promotes regional sustainability, as well as Hampshire Fare and New Forest Marque which promote local produce on our Eat Local Wesnesdays campaign.
And Hampshire Fare and New Forest Marque will offer support and advice to businesses which want to switch to selling local produce but don’t know where to start.
Already local producers who have been featured in the regular Eat Local section in Wednesday’s Echo have reported an increase in customers and a number of restaurants have increased their range of local food on offer having been featured.
Sarah Richards, New Forest Marque Manager, said: “Local produce has become interesting to a wide section of the population encouraging people to go back to cooking and creating dishes using tasty food. Supermarkets have jumped on the bandwagon but how local is their produce, how many miles has it travelled before reaching your local shop?
“In buying local produce, not only are you supporting local people but you are also ensuring future generations of farmers and craft makers exist. It is vital that these skills remain and are encouraged to grow locally ensuring that we keep the forest the way it is today.
“We currently have one of the largest organic suppliers in the Forest that is closing after Christmas. To help prevent this happening any further please think before you buy and support your local producers.”
Tim Brock from Hampshire Fare, who are also backing the petition, said: “With so many issues connected with what we eat at the moment, including food miles, quality, animal welfare and value, you should be asking where your food comes from. You can then make an informed decision and play your part. If in doubt, ask if it’s local!”
Mary Lewis, manager of the Sustainability Centre in East Meon is backing the campaign.
She said: “We are all consumers and we all consume food. Food has become a global commodity that is floated on the stock market, rather than something that nourishes our bodies, mind and souls. Mechanised global food production is heavily reliant on fossil fuels and contributes to many series environmental problems including soil erosion, pollution of waterways and destruction of the rain forests.
“Most people have no idea where their food comes from. Introducing people to the concept of locally produced and seasonal food reconnects them with the realities of where their food comes from and can be more environmentally friendly. It is also contributes to the local economy and helps to build a more robust and locally resilient food economy.
Thinking about where things come from and making your diet more locally based is an important part of leading a sustainable lifestyle.”
We will make the results of the petition available to local shopkeepers and restaurateurs, councils, MPs and chambers of commerce to let them know that local people want it to be easier for them to support local businesses and communities by buying produce from the area.
