The Rural Team at GO-East help support and encourage local supply chains, an important contributor to sustainability, and would now like to raise further awareness of the positive impact local suppliers can have on local economies, jobs, reducing food miles, healthy eating and the countryside.
The 6 April saw the third lunchtime farmers' market for staff at the GO-East offices at Eastbrook in Cambridge. In addition to supporting local specialist food producers, the event further spread the message about how our food purchasing decisions impact on our health, local economy and the countryside. The organisers hope that other organisations, in the public and private sector, will recognise the opportunity and benefits of staging events for staff at their own offices over the summer.
Alan Bell, Rural Team leader at GO-East, said:
"Smaller scale food producers and their supporters have been championing the cause of buying local for many years. The impact of Jamie's School Dinners on attitudes to healthy eating and our understanding of where and how our food is produced has given a further boost to local producers and local supply chains. Fruit and vegetable box schemes, farm shops and farmers' markets are going from strength to strength across Cambridgeshire and the East of England and we're really keen to encourage other organisations to host markets for their staff and raise awareness of sustainability and local suppliers."
On the basis that they try to practice what they preach, the GO-East Rural Team recently held a week-long series of food focused information events and activities at their Cambridge office for neighbouring organisations, staff and visitors. The most successful of the weeks' events was an indoor farmers market, which encouraged staff and producers to interact and provided the opportunity to sample and purchase locally-produced fare. The market proved so popular, that further events have taken place and are planned with other organisations and partners across the region.
If you are interested in finding out how to hold a similar event at your workplace please contact the GO-East Rural Team at ruralteam@goeast.gsi.gov.uk or call 01223 372764.
