Who feeds Bristol? Towards a resilient food system. A research report by Joy Carey 2011

Transcription

1 Who feeds Bristol? Towards a resilient food system A research report by Joy Carey 2011

2 How can we feed Bristol in the future? Understand who feeds Bristol now Plan for future resilience Innovation & entrepreneurs

3 Why worry? Globally - water, energy, soil nutrients, economic disruption Bristol - loss of jobs, land, retail, skills, infrastructure, nutrients, diversity

4 Who Feeds Bristol? - approach

5 Key findings in the report

6 Who Feeds the UK? 40% of food is imported (60% of vegetables; 90% of fruit) 70% of animal feed is imported (grains, soya) 75% of food is sold through the big four (Tesco, Sainsbury s, Asda, Morrisons) Britain has an industrial and commercial system that is more highly concentrated and centrally directed than that of any advanced Western nation.. little remains of local production meeting local needs. (Davis and Bollard 1986)

7 Food sector is major employer, and could increase 1 in every 10 jobs in the West of England Most are in retail, catering and hospitality

8 4,500 + food businesses Catering 74% Retail 21% Manufacturing/ processing 3% Wholesale/ distribution 2%

9 Production Southwest as % of England: 38% of organic producers 23% of sheep & cattle 37% of milk 6% of vegetables (18% of nation s swedes) Why? Topography suits livestock, good abattoir network; less suited for large scale veg so can t supply the multiples For example, half the cauliflowers go to Lincs for packing; some for dicing/slicing

10 Local food supply Available within 50 mile radius: potatoes, milk & dairy products, beef, lamb, poultry and eggs. Markets: 39 across the city region = businesses (valuable cashflow) Local trade: 3% of registered food businesses known to supply local food. Economic impact: 46 producers 3 million

11 Food manufacturers in the Bristol city region by number and nature of facilities per Local Authority area

12 Processing Typically supply: catering & retail or are caterers themselves, eg frozen ready meals. Bristol: pies, cold meats, sandwich fillings, cooked meats S Glos: small scale butcher and meat processing companies selling to farm shops

13 Wholesale and distribution Bristol: Home to over half of the city region s w&d facilities. Avonmouth: mainly distribution centres for multiple retail Bristol wholesale fruit centre: serves South Wales & SW independent grocery and catering sectors; employs 500 people

14 Why is Bristol Fruit Centre key? It supplies: from Fishguard to Portsmouth, from NE of Oxford to Penzance. Main customers: independent retailers, catering suppliers, caterers, NHS and local authorities Map from Markets 21 : Julie Smith and The Retail Markets Alliance, Nov 2009

15 Catering Overview: 30% cafes, takeaways 20% restaurants, pubs 25% public sector 24% other catering 2000 serve meals; many rely on f&v wholesale market in St Philips Opportunity to transform public sector food using the Food for Life catering mark (or equivalent)

16 Retail growth of the big four BBC research, by 2009 the big four UK grocery market share was 75.6%

17 Retail Overview: 21% of Bristol food businesses are retailers but only a quarter sell staple food items Types of food retail: 7% supermarkets 17% butchers, bakers, fishmongers, delis, greengrocers 76% corner shops, convenience stores, petrol stations, newsagents etc. Specialist independent food retail: 180 shops owned by 140 businesses

18 Case Study; Bristol Sweet Mart, St Mark s Road Established in 1978 by Mr Kassam Majothi from Uganda Began small a family business selling Indian home-made foods 11,000 different products in store and sells on-line. 80% sales to local customers; supplies 100+ Bristol food outlets 30% fruit, veg & dairy sourced locally and from the SW region.

19 Waste Our current UK food system results in some 40% of food wasted In Bristol 9,000 tonnes of household food waste is composted annually Total household food waste c20-25,000 tonnes per year No figures for commercial food waste

20 Case Study; FareShare SW In 2009/10 FareShare SW redistributed 274 tonnes of food that would have gone to landfill. 652,000 meals went to 5,000 people in 32 projects around the city.

21 Community food activity in Bristol Community food growing Community cooking clubs Lunch clubs School cooking clubs School gardening clubs Food for Life schools

22 Food production within the City Bristol s 3800 allotment plots alone could produce between 4% and 5% of the city s fruit and vegetable needs ha land is potentially available: Farmland, smallholdings, allotments; A proportion of councilowned empty land; A proportion of land within school grounds and private gardens; perhaps 20% of parks and green spaces 2000 ha could produce around 16% of city s fruit & vegetable needs.

23 Case Study; Hartcliffe Health & Environment Action Group Ltd Community cooking project Food for All community food cooperative Community market garden

24 Developing a resilient food plan: areas for action

25 Why does this matter? We do not have unlimited; cheap oil phosphates rainforests aquifers, and the UK is losing farmers every day The economic recovery will be more farmers markets than bond markets

26 Actions that could make a difference; Bristol is home to thriving wholesale, distribution and retail for farmers and growers Bristol has a catering college that leads the way on sourcing fresh local seasonal produce. People in Bristol choose Good Food good for workers, environment, animal welfare and us Market gardens surround the City Schools, hospitals, care homes, universities- all serve Good Food Bristol becomes a food garden city, with numerous edible gardens and plots Composting, recycling and redistribution are part of the system, always

27 For more information;