Better Food Traders is itself a network – a community of inspiring enterprises across the UK, united by a mission to sell climate and nature friendly produce, treating farmers and workers fairly along the way. We support each other through peer-learning groups, our Slack channel and in-person conferences such as our Annual Gathering. So we’re big advocates of network building and alliance working.
That’s why, since spinning out from our host organisation Growing Communities, we’ve been keen to join other important alliances working in the sustainable food sector. Here’s what we’re involved with:
Sustain, the Alliance for Better Food and Faming
Better Food Traders is proud to officially join the Sustain alliance. BFT’s work supporting ethical retail, short supply chains, and changing of consumer behaviour through marketing and education is all very much in alignment with Sustain’s projects and advocacy. We have been a member of the Local Food Retail working group since it was established by Sustain last year.
Sustain’s Programmes Director Sarah Williams, who is also a voluntary member of the Better Food Traders management board, said:
“Better Food Traders are a much-needed network and although relatively new, they are already having a big impact on the food sector. We are proud to see them join the alliance, to join forces and share expertise that will ultimately drive real change on the ground in the food sector.”
Of particular interest are the links between BFT and Sustain’s work to promote Local Food Retail; initiatives that focus on Bridging the Gap to make agroecological food affordable to more communities; and Sustain’s advocacy for the policy and finance that would support farmer-focused supply chains and local food infrastructure.
Eating Better
We are also really pleased to join Eating Better – a coalition of organisations who support less and better meat, and a 50% reduction of meat and dairy by 2030. We believe our missions align in a number of ways, as BFT’s focus on supporting ethical retail and changes in consumer behaviour all feeds into an overarching ambition to achieve healthy, sustainable diets for all. With BFT’s established support for fruit & veg traders, and more and more diverse traders of plant-based products joining, we are keen to explore how BFT membership could apply to retailers who sell ‘better’ meat and dairy. We hope that being part of the Eating Better alliance will help us shape our thinking on this.
Sarah Wakefield, Executive Director, Eating Better, said:
“Better Food Traders bring knowledge, passion and a track record of changing the food system. We are delighted that our growing membership reflects increasing momentum on sustainable diets and better meat production. We look forward to working with you and boosting relationships across the alliance to make the change we need.”
Better Food Traders is also part of the Food & Drink Federation and in the BSI’s Sustainability Standards Network.
We are proud to be members of all of these great networks, and hope that through building relationships across the sector we can make more impact and create systemic change.