Bristol is leading the way when it comes to developing a sustainable food culture that is healthy, affordable and good for nature, workers and businesses. The only city to have its own Food Policy Council, Bristol has taken its Good Food Charter a step further and devised its own plan for a Good Food system.
On Friday 29th November, leaders from diverse sectors across the South West will join Bristol’s Food Policy Council at City Hall for the annual gathering of Bristol’s Good Food movement.
The gathering will act as a launchpad for the Bristol Good Food Plan. The Plan outlines objectives designed to make real changes to the quality of food available in Bristol over the next five years, including:
• Encouraging people to cook from scratch, grow their own and eat more fresh, seasonal and local food
• Championing local independent food shops and traders
• Distributing Bristol-grown fruit and vegetables to restaurants, cafes, markets and households
• Minimising food waste and redistributing food that otherwise goes unused
• Promoting the community food trade such as co-operatives, buying groups and pop-up shops.
Also on the agenda is the launch of a two-week long Bristol food festival, ‘Food Connections’, in collaboration with the BBC. The event, which is due to take place in May 2014, will help to secure Bristol’s place on the map as leaders in Good Food.
Friday’s gathering offers the opportunity for pioneers in the field of food to contribute to these exciting plans and events. Lunch will be provided by Fare Share South West using food that would otherwise have gone to landfill, and attendees will also see the launch of a two-minute animation about Bristol Good Food. The afternoon will see delegates taken on tours of the exemplary Good Food projects already in practice across the city.
Commenting on the Bristol Good Food Plan, member of and spokesperson for the Bristol Food Policy Council Sid Sharma said: “I couldn’t have chosen a better city to start my business than Bristol! The city is home to an impressive number of successful pioneering food businesses that have fresh, seasonal and local food at their heart. The Bristol Good Food Plan has been developed to ensure Bristol nurtures many more food businesses to help keep our high streets vibrant and diverse and our people healthy and happy.”
The Bristol Good Food Plan will be available online at www.bristolgoodfood.org after the event. To find out more about the Bristol Food Policy Council visit www.bristolfoodpolicycouncil.org or follow @FoodBristol on Twitter – use the hashtag #BGFG for news and live updates on the event.