Warm boot recommendations please

[PurpleHen]

I have copied and pasted an article from a daily industry email we get at work. I just hope that this is the start of a change of heart by the food industry... here's hoping

 

UK: major retailers respond to food miles campaign petition

 

Britain’s big supermarkets have responded positively to Farmers Weekly's Local Food is Miles Better campaign by pledging to stock more local food. Farmers Weekly invited the major retailers to provide a clear statement of their position on local food and environmental sustainability. They were also asked to respond to its petition on local food which now has over 5,300 signatures.

 

ASDA, which sells more than 1500 local products from over 300 small suppliers, said it was piloting a pioneering food delivery scheme that would save more than 3m food miles a year if rolled out across the UK. The two-month pilot scheme enables a group of three Cornish farmers to deliver fresh fruit and vegetables straight to ASDA stores in Falmouth, St Austell, Bodmin and Plymouth rather than via a distribution centre.

 

Tesco chief executive Terry Leahy said that this summer it had been marketing locally grown, seasonal produce from displays dedicated to showcasing regional products and it also planned to open regional buying offices in England and strengthen its team in Wales. “We will also introduce new regional counters in more stores so that we can offer our customers more local and regional lines than they will find with any other retailer.”

 

Sainsbury’s said it was labelling more of its products with the name of the grower or producer. “In Scotland, we now source more than 1000 products from local suppliers which we’re going to double by the end of the year,” said chief executive Justin King.

 

It had also set itself a target of sourcing 70% of its organic food from the UK by the end of 2006. “Last year we reduced our road mileage by almost 5%,” said Mr King. “We have specific plans in place to save a further 10 million in the coming years.”

 

Waitrose said sales of local products had risen by 65% in the past year. “If it’s British and it’s in season, we will want it in our shops, provided the quality is there,” said managing director Steven Esom. “There is a lot of excellent British produce to enjoy.”

[Karen & co.]

Wow that sounds promising lets hope other major retailers follow suit

 

karen x

[melcotton]

sounds great - lets see whether it really is implemented.

 

Mel

[Charlottechicken]

As long as farmers are being paid properly for their produce then this can only be good news for all of us

 

I have been to my local Lidl this morning and most of the fruit and veg was actually marked up as British grown, apart from some of the more exotic items (got British corn on the cob for the chickens at 19p each ). Tesco also include the name of the grower with county as well as country if British I have noticed, as well as the variety and growers name on tomatoes. Sometimes the difference in price between British items and imported is negligable, and I always look to see country/county of origin. I usually buy English if I have a choice.

[Lesley]

It does sound promising - although as far as I can see, at the moment it is only ASDA who are taking local food direct into local stores - the others don't mention whether it goes via a Disribution Centre?

 

good for ASDA

[Happymama]

Asda - That the store that charges more for peppers from Yorkshire than it does from Holland?

 

I remain unconvinced.

 

It'll be nice when buying British doesn't mean you can't afford to eat it.

[Lesley-Jean]

DID YOU KNOW

 

To fly 1 ton of mange tout from Kenya to UK takes 1 ton of fuel

[Charlottechicken]

Shocking

 

And disgraceful

 

And tax free (probably)

[Mel (& Paul)]

Tescos are now giving double club card points on organic products.

But I would rather buy British than organic.

Obviously for things that arent grown in England - bananas, etc., I buy fair trade but why buy organic spring onions from Holland, when you can buy British ones?

Not that I am sceptical about Tescos - after all why would they want to encourage us to buy the more expensive organic stuff

[Guest]

I was in Sainsburys this week and I bought 5 items from their organic fruit and veg range, (I wanted the free bag).

 

I was in a hurry as I was on my lunchbreak, so I didn't like at the country of origin until I got home but was amazed that they all came from Shropshire (very close to us) apart from the bananas.

 

I don't know if this is a coincidence or whether all their stores had the same veg from the same place