In a year of fast-moving food policy, we’ve been proud to stand alongside and champion the independent, sustainable food sector.
Every purchase from a Better Food Trader is a vote for a food system that works better for people and the planet.
We are, as ever, incredibly grateful to our members, supporters and the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, who help fund our work so we can continue to help strengthen a fairer food system.
Here are some highlights:
1. £35 million worth of produce sold from UK agroecological farmers. Every purchase from a Better Food Trader is a vote for an independent food sector that’s better for people and the planet.
2. We’re contributing to development of the National Food Strategy for England through Defra’s workshops, meetings with Defra officials, and participating in parliamentary events attended by numerous MPs.
3. We launched our report Purpose Over Profit at the Labour Party Conference fringe with Foodrise;
4. We coordinated a letter to the Chancellor on Business Rates signed by traders and organisations representing 100,000s of businesses.
5. Baking a Better Tomorrow: our magazine produced in collaboration with UK Grain Lab, the Real Bread Campaign and Organic Research Centre reached thousands across the UK, with 3,000 hard copies distributed and 320 digital downloads.
6. Business Support Week delivered 50 hours of one-to-one advice to 38 member organisations. 100% of respondents said they left with new ideas, information or confidence.
7. 70 people gathered in Sheffield for our Annual Gathering last June. We
were joined by members from across the country, and more sector partners than ever before. It was a dynamic space for sharing knowledge, building relationships, and strengthening our collective impact on the food system. Don’t miss this year’s event, see details below.
8. 15 food hubs were supported through our Regional Food Hubs programme. The learnings from this project went into the publication of a new resource, the ‘Food Procurement Toolkit for SME Producers and Wholesalers’ alongside the Regional Food Hubs Lessons Learnt document. This was launched online with over 100 sector actors attending the webinar.
