New film argues good quality fruit and veg should be only option on the table

A new film by Sustain project Bridging the Gap shines a light on the work of 10 pilots across the UK that are demonstrating ways to make climate and nature friendly food accessible to everyone.

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“Good quality produce should not be an option, it should just be available to everyone, it should be a no brainer”. These are the closing remarks from Essex grower Sarah Green in this new film by Bridging the Gap, which hopes to prove just how possible this vision could be of a fairer food system that supports growers and helps tackle the climate and nature emergency.

The film travels across the UK and meets the programme’s pilots that are demonstrating different ways to bring nutritious, and often locally-sourced fruit and veg to people who experience low income in cities. From Scotland to Northern Ireland, England and Wales, the film offers a glimpse into different stages of what a fairer supply chain might look like, from horticultural production, to local retail and school food.

We meet green grocers supported by the programme providing fresh, organic fruit and vegetables in areas that have historically been food deserts, with limited or no access to food markets despite real local appetite and need. The film also shines a spotlight on farmer-focused supply chains, which benefit growers with fairer wages as well as the end-users, such as schools in Hackney and Wales where children can enjoy seasonal fruit and veg embedded into their school lunches.

Nutritious food that is climate and nature friendly is currently more expensive than food that is bad for health and produced in ways that damage the planet. The film aims to showcase this needn’t be the case, as the Bridging the Gap programme and its pilots explore solutions such as enhancing public sector food for procurement, investing in food hubs and wholesale supply chains, advocating for voucher schemes and championing a fair wage in farming and beyond.

The programme is using evidence from the pilots to call for key policy changes to make climate and nature friendly food accessible to everyone. 


Bridging the Gap would like to thank the 10 pilots working on the programme and featured in the film:

  • Aberdeen Give Peas a Chance  
  • Edinburgh Community Food  
  • Carrickfergus Friendly Food Club  
  • Newtownards Accessible Vegbox  
  • Cambridge CoFarm 
  • Hackney Organic School Food  
  • Liverpool Queen of Greens  
  • Tower Hamlets Food Co-op  
  • Cardiff Planet Card  
  • Welsh Veg in Schools  

Would we also like thank programme partners Growing Communities, Alexandra Rose Charity, Food Sense Wales, Nourish NI and Nourish Scotland.

Special thanks to film maker Eleanor Church and Sustain’s Bridging the Gap team for producing this documentary.

For more information on the project, visit the Bridging the Gap website.

 


Bridging the Gap: Exploring ways to make organic food more accessible via farmer-focused supply chains.

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