©Steve Haywood
A new group has been formed in England to provide a unified platform from which to communicate the food and drink industry’s needs to the government.
Food from England has been created from more than 30 regional groups, reportedly representing over 43,000 businesses.
The initiative aims to give small- and medium-sized businesses a strong collective voice to communicate the industry’s needs to relevant government agencies and departments. It will also identify ways to help businesses navigate through Covid-19 and Brexit, while encouraging consumers to keep supporting their local food and drink producers.
“There’s certainly strength to be gained from working collectively with all the different groups across England that represent their membership and bringing together everyone, including consumers, who make up the exceptional food and drink landscape of the UK,” said Tom Hunt, a chef, food writer and ambassador for the Food from England initiative.
“We are so fortunate to have access to outstanding food that is home grown and home produced, but Covid-19 has put tremendous pressure on the food and drink industry with many businesses suffering as a result of the pandemic.”
Food from England will develop strategies for producers and artisans, including for increasing sales, retaining new customers, and business growth.
The initiative will also aim to provide micro and small producers with access to business intelligence from agencies and public bodies.
Hunt continued: “We need to be supporting all our producers and giving them a unified voice so that they can continue to grow, raise, graze and produce home-grown food, and we also need to ensure more consumers support them so that the industry can thrive, even during a pandemic.”
© FoodBev Media Ltd 2024