Cutting the food miles, improving the food supply

As the European Commission proposes a more sustainable form of agriculture with severe changes to the current Common Agricultural Policy, a national study in the UK is echoing the sentiment and is set to investigate ways of shortening 'food miles', and improving the future for smaller food producers.

The investigation into 'food miles', or 'food kilometres' in European parlance, has won funding from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and is set to examine the links between food production and food consumption - with a view to improving the supply system.

Research teams at Coventry and Exeter universities, awarded over £170,000, will look at 'relocalising' food systems, shortening 'food miles', improving the supply of regional products to local people and improving the outlook for smaller farm businesses and food producers in rural areas.

It is an undisputed fact that, for many years, food supply systems have been dominated by powerful retailers. Farmers in certain regions are facing falling incomes and uncertain futures in the face of competition from large-scale agri-business and cheaper overseas production.

Professor Brian Ilbery and Dr Moya Kneafsey from Coventry University's​ School of Science and the Environment will work with Andrew Gilg and Dr Jo Little from the Department of Geography at the University of Exeter. The project will investigate food relocalisation in both the west midlands and the south west regions of England. While the south west is England's premium region for speciality food and drink products, the west midlands ranks second lowest in this regard.

Both sets of researchers will examine ways of encouraging farmers to sell their produce on a local scale, creating niche markets that are sustainable and have a beneficial impact on the local economy. During their studies, they will talk to different groups about the supply, sale and consumption of these types of products.

Professor Ilbery said: "By talking to producers, local development agencies and planners, and consumers we aim to find out more about selling and buying behaviour that will help to shorten the supply chain and find ways of re-localising the products.​

It is hoped that by understanding why people buy certain foods we can help to promote local products in the area where they are produced rather than transporting them half way across the UK to a buyer.​

This will have enormous benefits for the local economy and may even result in the production of types of foods which have become 'extinct' because of a fall in demand on a local level. It could also have a huge impact on preventing the spread of diseases such as Foot and Mouth. During the Foot and Mouth outbreak in the 1960s there was very little movement of produce around the UK. However, since farmers have resorted to transporting their livestock across the country to find a buyer it has become more difficult to contain the spread of these diseases - hence the nationwide outbreak last year."​

In both regions, particular attention will be paid to the role of the government's new Rural Enterprise Scheme and Processing and Marketing Grant Scheme and the ways in which these are helping smaller-scale producers and growers. The researchers hope that the project may reveal the path to creating stronger links between 'product and place' - ultimately of benefit to both the producer and consumer.