London needs its own dedicated food hub and as many as 20 new street markets to help it meet local food demand, consultants have claimed.

Bidwells Agribusiness has produced a new report in which it estimates demand from the capital’s retail, wholesale and catering buyers for local food is as much as £9.3bn a year.

Increasing interest in provenance and a desire for a point of difference in food retailing was stoking demand, it said. But while there was sufficient supply of local milk, cheese, pork, chicken and potatoes to meet London’s needs, there was not enough beef, lamb, fish, fruit or vegetables.

A hub, similar to those already in place around the country, would provide buyers more direct access to producers. But as ease of buying was particularly important to London buyers, a virtual B2B e-marketplace should be set up to provide online access to local food, the report said. This would allow buyers to meet producers and buy products via their computer screens.

The hub must also help raise consumer awareness and encourage shoppers to buy more regional food, Bidwells claimed. Part of that work could be achieved by creating 10 to 20 street markets at key locations across Greater London to act as ‘food beacons’, raising awareness and improving availability of local food. The markets would be sited in population-dense areas with easy access for both businesses and shoppers.

The 2012 Olympics also provided an opportunity for local food, Bidwells claimed, proposing the creation of a flagship food centre with the theme of Great British Food.

“The shift away from organic has increased the focus on regional and local food and people now want to know their food is the freshest it can be and also know where it comes from,” said Bidwells head of food marketing Richard Walters. “In addition, the challenge of the recession means that people want to support their local community as best they can, from buying local food, to sustaining local shops.”

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