FIND LOCAL, SUSTAINABLE PRODUCE
Look up. Pick up. Eat up.
Want to eat delicious fresh fruit and veg with prices that are lower and more stable than the supermarkets? Buy from a Better Food Trader – many of them grow their own while others source from within a few miles, meaning prices stay low and produce stays fresh.
Want to do the planet a massive favour? Buying fresh produce from a Better Food Trader supports local organic farmers, reduces food miles and fixes carbon in the soil.
Want to support your local community? Independent retailers are at the heart of our highstreets, creating jobs and building community. Use them or lose them!
Do you know a great shop, food hub, market stall or veg box scheme that's not on the map? Send us their details!
For Customers
How do I find a Better Food Trader?
Search here for your nearest Better Food Trader.
There isn’t a Better Food Trader near me - what do I do now?
We launched in 2020 and are building up a network of brilliant Better Food Traders. There won’t be coverage everywhere at first but here’s what you can do now.
Check the Soil Association for a list of local veg schemes, markets, farmers and shops: https://www.soilassociation.org/organic-living/buy-organic/
Nominate a shop, food hub, market stall or veg box scheme near you that should be a Better Food Trader by contacting us: hello@betterfoodtraders.org
Send us a message hello@betterfoodtraders.org and we’ll let you know when there’s a Better Food Trader in your area.
My local shop/market/veg scheme is brilliant. Why aren’t they a Better Food Trader?
They could be.
Share this link to our website: https://betterfoodtraders.org/
Tell us about them hello@betterfoodtraders.org
How does my order support people?
Better Food Traders are governed by principles that ensure the food we trade is farmed sustainably, the way we trade is fair to farmers and transparent to our customers, and that we build community whilst creating change in the wider food system.
Better Food Traders create jobs and increase skills in their local communities, reconnecting people with farming and involving them in the production, trading and celebration of food.
We make it easier and more affordable for people to choose and use fresh, seasonal and local food and work to raise awareness and understanding of how food choices made by individuals, households and organisations can create a sustainable food system.
What’s in a typical vegbox?
Each local trader is different dependant on their location but this calendar from Sutton Community Farm gives you an idea of what items to expect at different times of the year.
Where does the food come from?
Better Food Traders deliver fresh, seasonal food to your community each week. The food you receive from a Better Food Trader will be sourced from farms as close to you as possible, taking into account carbon footprint, direct relationship with farmers (reduces waste), and what grows best where. Please see this diagram of the Food Zones, which explains our understanding of where to source produce for the most sustainable food system.
Why are Better Food Traders better than normal shops?
Ways Better Food Traders do business differently include:
If they are a veg scheme, they'll have flexible collections - customers collect weekly from pick-up points in local businesses and
venues such as pubs, libraries, cafes, health food shops and community centres. [We like click and collect!]
Supporting the micro-economy - BFTs employ local people, keeping money within the local
economy and providing living wage jobs. They are often social enterprises so any profits go to furthering the goals of sustainable localized food such as creating urban farms.
Reducing food waste at both ends of the supply chain - Working directly with small-scale farms means only exactly what is needed is harvested for that week. Surplus or
uncollected veg, as well as donations of veg, are given to local homeless shelters, food banks and migrant centres. For example Local Greens, with the support of their customers, in South London worked with local organisations to provide over 200 families with food parcels for Christmas (2019).
Working with urban growers - Urban and peri-urban growers can struggle to find a market for their produce but Better Food Traders can provide a guaranteed income and are best placed to deal with the smaller quantities that they have to offer. See how this works at https://www.growingcommunities.org/food-growing
What about cost?
Sustainable, organic produce like the fruit and veg sold by Better Food Traders, tends to cost a little more than conventional produce, but it represents much better value*. ‘Cheap’ food means that the ‘cost’ is passed further along the supply-chain through damage to the environment, by paying growers and farm-workers unfairly or by big corporations unscrupulously exploiting tax loopholes.
*Read Julie Brown, director of Growing Communities, on the real value of Better Food Traders
Better for the planet.
Better for our community.
Better for our belly.
Meet the Members
These businesses have provided evidence that they are working towards the highest ethical standards for fruit and veg retail.
Filter by Region
Better for the planet.
Better for our community.
Better for our belly.
What is a Better Food Trader?
A Better Food Trader commits to principles that ensure the food they sell is farmed sustainably, the way they trade is fair to farmers and transparent to customers.
the system is broken – can we fix it?
By supporting farmers, growers, and businesses we can create a more sustainable food system.
Become a Better Food Trader
Do you want to bring more sustainably produced food to your community? We can help you.