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‘Who feeds Bristol? Towards a resilient food system’

A research report by Joy Carey,independent consultant, sustainable food systems planning

A food system approach

Baseline data, rapid appraisal – strengths & vulnerabilities

What basic ‘indicators’ might we see in a resilient and sustainable food supply system for Bristol?

‘Cook from scratch’Staples from city region

Diverse food retail

Engaged citizens

‘Closed loop’ systems

Good food is more than ‘cheap’or ‘convenient’. When talking

about sustainable and resilient food supply for Bristol, what

principles do we need to consider?

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Who does feed Bristol?

<4500 Bristol food businesses

• Catering 74%• Retail 21%• Manufacturing/

processing 3%• Wholesale/

distribution 2%

One in every ten jobs in the West of England is in the Food and Drink sector

NB: many caterers are small, the manufacturers and distributors are large

Strengths & vulnerabilities in the food system

For more details on strengths and vulnerabilities see ‘Who

Feeds Bristol’ summarywww.bristol.gov.uk/whofeedsbristol

Bristol Fruit Centre - critical

Map from ‘Markets 21’: Julie Smith and The Retail Markets Alliance, Nov 2009

Supplies: Fishguard, to Portsmouth, and from northeast of Oxford to Penzance.

Main customers:independent grocers,catering suppliers, caterers, NHS andlocal authorities

Concern: New food waste facilities located adjacent to market; longterm viability

Retail Overview:21% of Bristol food businesses are retailers but only a quarter sell staple food items

Types of food retail: 7% supermarkets17% butchers, bakers, fishmongers, delis,greengrocers76% corner shops, convenience stores, petrol stations, newsagents etc.

Specialist independent food retail: 180 shops owned by 140 businesses(details of snapshot surveys in main report)

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Retail – growth of the ‘big four’ (BBC Panorama data)

By 2009 the big four UK grocery market share was 75.6%

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 foodwaste c20-25,000 tonnes per year

No figures for commercial food waste

Creating a healthy ‘food aware, food resilient city’ – suggestions for action

• Good diverse fresh food shopping areas • Easy to reach fresh local food markets • Safeguard land for food – allotments and community gardens; gardens for new homes; roof gardens• Create food education spaces – school gardens, community kitchens, cookery classes • Food produced in and close to the city –new social enterprises like Sims Hill

Seeing things through a ‘food’ lens: what can we do at a neighbourhood level?

Healthy?

Supporting the local

economy?

Environmentally sustainable?

Why focus on independent and local retail?

Because you have to start somewhere, and a 10 percent shift in shopping habit could be enough to safeguard the diversity of our independent retail infrastructure for a while

www.bristolfoodnetwork.org

BFN have set up a positive city-wide Bristol Independents campaign to engage us all in supporting our independent

retail sector, launched 17 Sept.

‘Try something local from somewhere local’

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What will Bristol Independents do for traders?It is a web-based collective marketing and information tool for the city’s independent retail sector to use

It is administered by volunteers and supported by BCC, NHS Bristol etc

It can help independent traders work together to promote their businesses, and encourage more people in the city to use their local shops and support their local shopping areas

It is up to traders, community groups, Neighbourhood Partnerships and local organisations to make it work for them

www.bristolindependents.co.uk

September 2011 pilot created 8 local shopping area

postcards with a ‘cook from scratch’ recipe on the back

includingStapleton Rd

Stokes Croft & Picton St

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Progress on Bristol Independents

• 17th Dec - nominator prizes St Nicks Mkt• March 2012 – 2011 retail awards

announced• Christmas shopping focus on the website• Work on results of September pilot• Planning phase 2 & July 4th Independents

Day; need traders to get involved• Exploring ways to link with Bristol Pound

Action needed now to get our NP area engaged in and organised

forJuly 4th 2012

Bristol Independents Day

Opportunities for our NP areaEngage local traders –Stapleton Rd already in discussion

Create postcards and recipes for other shopping areas

Get involved with plans for 4th July 2012

Explore possibility of on-line shopping and delivery for local shopping areas

Look at late night opening to help with promotion Local shopping area

drop-in consultation to engage residents

Make links with other local community activities and work together egartists, transition groups, healthy eating groups etc

Get town centres running like businesses: by strengthening the management of high streets through new ‘Town Teams’

“Local authorities, landlords, retailers and the public need to work together to really animate the spaces they occupy; re-imagined as destinations for retail, socialising, culture, health, wellbeing, creativity and learning.”(Mary Portas)

Give communities a greater say: by greater inclusion of the high street in neighbourhood planning and encouraging innovative community uses of empty high street spaces.

Get the basics right to allow businesses to flourish

Define landlords’ rolesand responsibilitiesLevel the playing field: ensure a strong town centre first approach in planning

A few thoughts from Mary Portas