We are very proud to share with you that we are now an accredited Better Food Trader - a great new endorsement to our efforts in promoting a more sustainable food system.

The Better Food Traders scheme supports ethical businesses who are motivated to change the current food system. Born out of our own Start-up programme, which ran from 2013-2016 and supported the creation of 10 new box schemes across the country based on our successful model and our ethical and sustainable principles. It has now evolved into the Better Food Traders, which is an independent body funded by the Esmee Fairburn Foundation.

It's a growing network of accredited food retailers nationwide who are similarly governed by principles that ensure they only sell food which is locally and sustainably grown, seasonal, healthy, fairly traded, low carbon and kind to people. As a collective we're able to offer a real alternative to people seeking to address the climate crisis, and work to support those farmers, growers, organisations and businesses committed to a more sustainable food system.

The BFT panel said:

“Growing Communities clearly demonstrate all that is required to be a Better Food Trader, one of only two applicants who scored full marks in the subsidiary thresholds.”

Better Food Traders is a movement that reminds us why our current food system needs changing:

• Over 95% of the food grocery market is owned by supermarkets, creating an unfair balance between food producers and consumers
• At least 20% of global greenhouse gas emissions are directly linked to food
• Industrial farming practices are destroying our soil fertility and carbon stores
• 1 million animal and plant species are threatened with extinction by the land-use change brought about by the food industry

Retailers have a significant part to play in supporting the kind of agroecoloigcal and regenerative farmers that are the true stewards of the land. This kind of farming has the potential to avert us form the worst effects of climate chaos by restoring soils, wetlands and wildlife habitats, while also relying less on fossil fuel inputs such as transport, machinery and chemicals.

What does this mean for you?

Firstly, you can sit happy knowing that we align with a robust set of principles, covering everything from how the produce is grown, to how much the farmers and staff are paid, to the environmental impact.

Secondly, please help us spread the word about Better Food Traders and check out the other great small and ethical enterprises that are part of this movement.

These are the other accredited and aspiring Better Food Traders:

London
Local Greens
Kentish Town Vegbox
CropDrop
LeeGreens
OrganicLea

Enfield Veg Co.

Sutton Community Farm

Good Food

North West
Vegbox People, Manchester

North East

Gibside Community Farm, Northumberland

Scotland

Locavore, Glasgow

Yorkshire & The Humber
Pennine Crop Share
Regather Cooperative, Sheffield

Cambridge
Cambridge Organic Food Co

Oxford

Cultivate Oxford

South East
Windmill Community Gardens, Margate

South West
Shillingford Organics, Exeter

The Apricot Centre, Devon

Harvest Workers Coop, Devon

Camel CSA, Cornwall

The Community Farm, Somerset