London Food Link

London Food Link links organisations and individuals such as farmers, food writers, caterers and community food projects. London Food Link and its members run projects that help
 * increase the availability of sustainable food in London
 * tackle the barriers preventing access to sustainable food for all Londoners
 * celebrate and protect London's diverse food culture.

Examples of what LFL does

 * helping London’s hospitals, for example15% of ingredients at the Royal Brompton are now from local/organic sources
 * pioneering work with black and ethnic community businesses, encouraging them to grasp the ‘green’ market potential
 * helping develop the Mayor’s first food strategy (launched 22nd May 2006), having run the consultation and a number of projects for their food team.

Helping restaurants
London Food Link is helping restaurants to exploit the huge potential for this sector to better support local and sustainable food. However, only a fraction of restaurants offer sustainable options on their menus, despite overwhelming desire from consumers for more.

Random facts

 * 34% food in UK is eaten out of the home, (in US it’s 48%) It’s estimated by 2025 that 50% of food consumption will be out of the home. (Food and Drink Federation Eating out of Home Trends 2000)
 * During 2002-3, the UK market for organic food & drink grew by over 10% and annual sales now exceed £1billion. (Organic Market Report, Soil Association, 2005).
 * 65% of shoppers buy local whilst a further 9% would like to if it was available. This is compared with 61% purchasing last year. Of those purchasing 40% would like to buy more if it was more available. (Gerardine Padbury, Retail and Foodservice Opportunites for Local Food IGD, 2006)

Why buying more local food is important

 * Transport - A recent Defra report estimates that the social and environmental costs of food transport are around £9 billion every year. (Paul Watkiss et al, The Validity of food miles as an Indicator of Sustainable Development. London: Defra, 2005)
 * Money earned by the community stays in the community. Every £10 spent with a local food business is worth £25 for the local area compared to £14 return when using non-local food businesses. (New Economics Foundation Plugging the Leaks 2002)

Funding
London Food Link is run by Sustain, and is funded by Defra’s Environmental Action Fund and the EU European Regional Development Fund.

Reference

 * Sustain news item