Island Life Magazine Ltd December 2009/January 2010 | Page 65

COUNTRYSIDE, WILDLIFE & FARMING

which keep the island’s rural economy alive and

where the food you are buying comes from.

manage the countryside which we all enjoy.

Certainly if you are in a pub or a restaurant,

The benefit to those who buy locally is not only

it is very reasonable to ask about the origin

great-tasting, healthy food, but the knowledge

of the food on your plate. The more this issue

that we are supporting the local economy and

is shown to matter to consumers, the more

reducing food miles. The local situation in

incentive there is for those buying the food to

terms of food miles would also be considerably

seek local sources of supply. There is a lot of

improved by the provision of an abattoir on the

“tokenism” in local sourcing – the procurement

Island - that’s a subject for another day.

of a few local items to justify a marketing

Farmers markets are an obvious and

slogan. Generally supermarkets are reluctant to

excellent resource, but elsewhere, attempts

stock meaningful quantities of local produce.

to buy locally can be frustrating, particularly

I have, however, been pleasantly surprised by

if shops and restaurants do not have a

the discretion allowed to managers of Co-Op

policy of buying from the Island’s suppliers

stores, which has led to more local sourcing.

wherever possible themselves. A recent

So please support farmers markets, held at

survey into public (schools, hospitals etc) and

Ryde every Saturday, Newport every Friday and

private (shops, restaurants etc) sector food

at the Freshwater Co-Op during the summer

procurement policies revealed that two-thirds

months. Also investigate your local Farm Shop

of organisations aim to buy British or local

and in the run up to Christmas, please use your

produce. Furt