farm care dig grow

For once, not an article about food safety from me but rather one on food sourcing. As someone from Northern Ireland I am acutely aware how important the agri-food industry is to the local economy. Ask any inhabitant of this part of the island of Ireland if anyone in their family works in the agrifood industry and the answer is invariably yes. Often the answer is ‘all of us’. 

It is a region of the UK that takes huge pride in the food it produces. The main customers for our produce are the UK multiple retailers, and it is clear to me the top five have been extremely supportive of the British food industry in recent years and local sourcing has been high on their agenda. Indeed, it’s often the locally sourced food that brings the greatest level of variety and quality to supermarket shelves. 

But the times they are a-changing in UK food retail. The limited assortment discounters (LADS) are causing huge changes across the sector. One of these changes is that the multiples are looking to streamline their ranges to be more competitive, with thousands of SKUs being cut. 

“Locally produced food is an essential element of our food security”

I see two huge issues emerging: I fear small, regional food companies are likely to be hit much harder than the large multinationals by these efforts, and consumers will end up with much less choice, especially as far as UK produce is concerned. 

Is this really progress? I think not. I hear people urging small producers to find alternative markets, but I think this is an enormous task for small companies to take on. With the multiples and the LADS dominating so much of the UK market, the focus then has to be on exports - incredibly difficult to achieve in practice. 

I believe locally produced food is an essential element of our national food security. We simply can’t allow UK farms to go out of business and small food companies to follow suit. 

Perhaps it’s time to ask the LADS about how much UK produce they are sourcing compared with the multiples and what plans they have to increase this. I’m also keen to understand how their business models tie in with the UK having a sustainable agriculture industry and how they plan to ensure small artisan food producers are thriving. 

Chris Elliott is director of the Institute of Global Food Security at Queen’s University, Belfast