Community retailers need to work together to survive
There are fewer community retailers running in 2016 than 2006. Two new pieces of research from NHS Health Scotland recommend working together to ensure that low income communities can still access affordable, quality food.
The two new publications from Community Food and Health Scotland (CFHS) have been released: Strengthening the future of community retailing and Staying power.
CFHS define community retailers as:
“community groups selling affordable, quality foods within or for low-income communities. Their purpose is to make it possible for people with less income to buy fresh produce. They focus on selling fresh fruit and vegetables, but may sell other healthier foods. Community retailers sell their produce through community retailing outlets – these include fruit and vegetable stalls and co-ops, fruit barras and community-run shops.”
The reports recommend community retailers should work together in joint purchasing, training and marketing as a way to get the most out of their own limited resources. CFHS are an observer of the Sustain alliance.
Both reports can be downloaded in full here.
Published Thursday 15 February 2018
Food Access Network: The Food Access Network (FAN-UK) was formerly the Food Poverty project, and is now superseded by the Local Action on Food Network. These archive pages give background information on the activities of FAN-UK, which worked to tackle diet-related ill health amongst the UK�s most disadvantaged communities.
