A Celebration of Local Food **Event postponed**

**Event postponed**

Due to the recent outbreaks of Foot and Mouth in the South East, the organisers of the Open Day at New Covent Garden Market have decided to postpone the events. This includes the tour in the morning at 7.00am, the Meet the Buyer (9.00am-14.00pm) and the EFFP Share to Supply Conference (11.00am-16.00pm). We expect to have a new date by the middle of October and will update this site as soon as this has been decided.

As you will understand this is a difficult situation for the farming industry at present and we would like to resume the promotion of local food for the London market when all risks are removed.

If you would like to attend or have any queries please contact London Food Link - londonfoodlink@sustainweb.org”

On 3rd October, during British Food Fortnight, a Celebration of Local Food will bring together local producers and London wholesalers and distributors and the catering industry for an Open Day and Conference at New Covent Garden Market.  This event will connect all the links in the food chain to increase the profile of local food in London.

The open day is part of a three year project between Covent Garden Market Authority and the South East to get more local food on the capital's plates via wholesalers and catering distributors based at the Market. The day will see a renewed drive for the Market to source more produce from its surrounding regions.

The day starts at 07.00am with a tour of the Market for producers to see at first hand how it works.  After breakfast producers from the South East and East Anglia will showcase local seasonal ingredients for wholesalers, distributors and chefs to sample and discuss. 

The conference, 'Share to Supply', run by English Farming and Food Partnerships (EFFP) looks at the opportunities for supplying local food to London and the South East.  Speakers include Jenny Jones, Chair of London Food Board.  The conference showcases a number of examples where producers are already successfully working with together to supply the public and food service sectors, as well as providing practical advice on initiating such ventures.

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For more information please contact:
Hayley Elston on 01983 761380 or hayley@sol.gb.com

For tour bookings, Meet-the-Supplier forms or conference bookings visit:
www.southeastenglandfoodanddrink.co.uk/coventgardenopenday

 

NOTE TO EDITORS

1. This Event is organised by Covent Garden Market Authority (CGMA, http://www.cgma.org.uk/ , South East Food Group Partnership (SEFGP, http://www.southeastenglandfoodanddrink.co.uk/) and English Farming and Food Partnerships (EFFP http://www.effp.com/), with financial support from Food from Britain.  Other organisations involved in making this a successful event include Taste of Anglia, Sustain and the South East England Development Agency.
2. CGMA and the SEFGP, with funding from the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA), are launching a joint three year project to increase the volume of South East produce into the London food and public service sector through New Covent Garden Market (NCGM).
3. The project will have a dedicated person facilitating the use of NCGM as a conduit for product from the South East region, to forge closer links between producers and wholesalers, to quantify the demand for South East products, to establish links with local schools, and to explore the potential for a speciality South East product outlet at the Market.
4. NCGM is the UK's premier wholesale market for fresh produce (fruit, vegetables and flowers) and also houses the largest concentration of catering distributors in the country.
5. Many of the catering distributors at NCGM handle a range of goods beyond fruit and vegetables (fresh, chilled and frozen); semi-prepared and processed produce as well as dried goods, dairy and packaged meats and fish.  Companies based at the Market offer quality, service and flexibility as well as specialisms such as organic supplies.  One of these companies, Chef's Connection, has just beaten national competition to win the title of Foodservice Supplier of the Year.
6. SEEDA and SEFGP are committed to supporting a sustainable, world-class farming and food sector that contributes to a better and healthier environment and prosperous communities. This project also fits within the scope of the London Food Strategy, in particular it has the potential to develop NCGM as a consolidation point for South East produce for onward delivery into London's food service sector, leading to fewer 'white van' miles.  It will enable producers to focus on their core strengths and capitalize on the existing sales and distribution network at NCGM.
7. English Farming & Food Partnerships (EFFP) is a not-for-profit membership organisation, committed to championing collaboration across the farming and food industry.  Its mission is to make collaboration work by developing co-operation and partnership activities not only between farmers but also between farmers and the supply chain.
8. Share to Supply is part of EFFP's recently launched Share to Farm project, which aims to help farmers and others work together to reduce costs and add value. Share to Farm is sponsored by HSBC Agriculture.  For more information about Share to Farm see the website: http://www.sharetofarm.com/ or telephone Sarah Moffatt on 020 7213 0431
9. For further information about this event or the work of the South East Food Group Partnership contact:  Henriette Reinders, T: 023 9245 2288; M: 07904 382754; E: henriette@sefgp.co.uk 
10. For more information about NCGM contact: Helen Evans, T: 020 7501 3487; M: 07710 327427; E: helen.evans@cgma.gov.uk
11. For further information about EFFP or Share to Farm contact: Duncan Rawson, T: 01273 475573; M: 07834 337346; E: drawson@effp.com
12. For further information about Sustain – the alliance for better food - please visit www.sustainweb.org or London Food Link at http://www.londonfoodlink.org/