Locavore is a social enterprise which exists to help build a more sustainable local food system which is better for our local economy, the environment and our communities. We’re about making the money spent on food do more for the benefit of society and our environment.
We’ve been working with this brief since 2011 to develop ideas and practical solutions which can be used to deliver a better food network. Over this time we have opened a shop, developed a market garden, established a veg box scheme and got lots of people more engaged in thinking about issues around food, where it comes from, and the fairness and sustainability of mainstream supply chains.
Everyone eats food, and the food we choose to eat has far reaching impacts which shape our landscapes, streetscapes and local economic situations. What we eat impacts our health, but also everything else in the world with issues as wide ranging as deforestation, climate change, animal welfare, public health, exploitation of the global poor and workers rights. It’s fair to say we have a lot more than food on our plates.
We think at the root of all these big overwhelming global and local problems is the basic model of the big corporations who run the food system. They exist to extract as much money as possible from customers for the benefit of their shareholders. With supermarket chains in the UK holding 97% the grocery market it’s not much of a surprise that things are in such a dire state.
Our ambition is to continue to grow and scale up what we do so we can trade in the same marketplace as the big corporates, but with our own values and for the benefit of society.