Royal Show backing pushes Food Miles campaign support over 4000

Support for Farmers Weekly’s Local Food is Miles Better campaign has soared over 4000, thanks to huge support from the general public attending the Royal Show.

Over four days (2-5 July), 825 people signed the campaign petition calling on supermarkets to stock, promote and label locally produced food in a way that cuts down on food miles and supports local producers.

“It’s a brilliant response and comes on the back of support from Conservative leader David Cameron and Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs secretary of state David Miliband, on Monday 3 July,” said Farmers Weekly food miles campaign director Julian Gairdner.

Mr Cameron addressed assembled reporters on Farmers Weekly’s stand at the Royal Show, while Mr Miliband handed out the prizes to the winners of the Low Food Miles Lunchbox Competition for schools, an initiative backed by Farming and Countryside Education.

Farmers Weekly has written to the chief executives of all the major retailers calling for their engagement with the campaign and a response to the petition. Sainsbury’s Justin James attended Monday’s campaign petition press briefing and set out positive measures the retailer was involved in to promote local, British food.

Initial written statements had also been received from Tesco and Somerfield.

“We’ll be pushing for formal responses from all the chief executives over the next fortnight,” Mr Gairdner added.

Why not sign Farmers Weekly’s food miles campaign petition?