Case studies

The Strachans' farm, part of the East Suffolk food web. Photo: CPRE

The East Suffolk food web

Mapping the local food web
In 1998, CPRE Suffolk volunteer Caroline Cranbrook surveyed the network of retailers, producers and suppliers making up the local food economy in the area around Saxmundham in East Suffolk. A new out-of-town superstore was proposed and Caroline was concerned that, if successful, it would have a devastating effect on the area. She feared that the network of local food shops and businesses would collapse and local jobs would be lost.

Caroline surveyed 81 food shops in 7 market towns and 19 villages. She uncovered a web of links between these retailers and the local producers who supplied them. Nearly 300 local or regional food producers and wholesalers had business with these local shops. These local businesses provided local jobs for local people within walking or cycling distance of people's homes, and often with the flexible hours suitable for those with family commitments. The local food economy was helping to sustain many other businesses in the area too, such as electricians, bankers, accountants and plumbers. The local food web was flourishing.

The survey showed there was no retailing need for a large new superstore and that this local food economy would probably be destroyed if planning permission for its construction was granted. Sixty-seven of the 81 local retailers thought their businesses would close if they had to compete with a large supermarket. Suffolk Coastal District Council refused the application...and the East Suffolk food web survived and flourished.

Eight years on
Eight years later, this area of East Suffolk is still free from supermarkets. Caroline has carried out a second survey finding a vibrant local economy. East Suffolk has become a fine food destination, attracting visitors to see the traditionally farmed landscapes and sample local products such as venison, ice cream, strawberries and the first Suffolk salami. There has been an increase in demand for this fresh, traceable and distinctive food, and more interest in local farming practices, animal welfare and other environmental issues. We have published a report in association with Plunkett Foundation, The Real Choice, based on this survey. We have used its findings to argue for local and national planning and retail policies which will help to support food economies e that in East Suffolk, and encourage new local businesses to develop.

Essex Food fair
CPRE Essex is part of a group that is organising a food fair in Saffron Walden for July 2006. The group, known as the Saffron Walden Initiative, hopes that the fair will help to promote the shops, producers and restaurants who are making this bustling market town a food destination in Essex. Sixty food stalls are planned, which should bring the pleasures of good local food to many more residents and visitors, helping to create the demand that local food businesses need if they are to flourish. The fair is sponsored by Waitrose, and the Saffron Walden Initiative hopes it will become an annual event.

Peak District and South Yorkshire local food directory
There's an increasing demand for fresh local food – but that demand can only be met if people know where to find it. Keen to promote a local food culture, CPRE Peak District and South Yorkshire published a local food directory in the spring of 2005, a project funded by Business Link South Yorkshire. The directory contains details of the producers, retailers, food markets, pubs and restaurants which can be found in this area. CPRE volunteer Jemma Grieve found suppliers for the directory – fruit and vegetable growers, butchers, bakers, honey makers and millers. The directory explains the benefits buying locally produced food can bring to the landscape, economy and community. The directory is now in libraries, tourist information officers, and with the producers and retailers themselves.