A new guide published by Lloyds TSB Agriculture gives a brief and practical overview of the local food 'revolution' and shows how farmers have the opportunity to both connect more directly with consumers and capture more food-chain value.
'The Signpost Guide to Local Food' looks at the definition of local food, the potential market for fresh, local produce and the routes to market. It also lists a number of key questions that anybody considering local food marketing as a farm diversification option should be asking.
Commenting on the launch of the guide, Peter Sobey, Head of Agriculture at Lloyds TSB said:
"It is clear that 'local' is the new buzz word when it comes to food. According to an IGD survey in March 2006, 65% of shoppers said that they buy local food and a further 9% said they would consider doing so if it were more readily available.
"This figure is likely to rise with the increasing emphasis on the need to protect the environment, to use sustainable food sources and to cut back on food miles by reducing the distance from farm to fork. This is coupled with increasing affluence, which means consumers are more likely to seek out niche, speciality foods, and is reflected in the enormous popularity and growth in the number of farmers' markets over the last eight years. Farmers should be able to realise considerably higher prices than for commodity sales, assuming they get their marketing right.
"Given the scope and complexity of the different routes to market and the broad range of food types that could be marketed locally there are no hard and fast rules to success. But with the likely increase in demand for local food making use of local food markets has the potential to bring much needed additional income to farm businesses."
The 'Signpost Guide to Local Food' is available from your local Lloyds TSB Agricultural Manager or by calling the following numbers - South West: 01392 424871; South and South East: 01227 462056; Wales & West: 01432 355295; Midlands: 01889 566563; North: 01522 539374 and Scotland: 0131 226 7009.
