Food in Your Community

Taking responsibility and working together within a community can foster trust between individuals and groups leading to positive action and increased economic security.

Local food systems offer an opportunity to find alternative ways of delivering sustainably produced food to consumers that keep more of the food pound in the local economy.

There is stark evidence of a pattern of decline that is being seen across the UK, with a struggle for market share being lost by small retailers. Between 1995 and 2000, 30,000 local economic outlets closed in the UK, including banks, post offices, pubs and local food shops.

Not only are these businesses interdependent, but provide linkages between the firms and the communities that use them. Local shops and other businesses provide social space for meeting people, sharing information, providing jobs. They utilise the resources of the community fully.

Trouble on the High Street

All is far from well on the high street.

In 1950, local independent grocery stores had a 58% share of the market, which had plummeted to only 14% by 1990. Multiple retailers, such as supermarkets, had a 20% market share in 1950, which had rocketed to 75% by 1990 [1].

Although UK retail food sales increased from £62,000 million to £76,000 million between 1992 and 1996 [2], the total number of businesses in the grocery trade fell from 65,000 to 55,000, most of which were local specialist outlets such as dairymen, butchers, fishmongers, greengrocers and bakers [3] - in fact, these are now closing down at the rate of 50 per WEEK! [4]

Graph of market share

Source: New Economics Foundation (2003), Ghost Town Britain

The main beneficiaries of this increase in retail food sales are supermarkets, but surely when a new superstore opens, jobs are created?

No! Actually, research on behalf of Boots, John Lewis, Marks and Spencer, Sainsbury and Tesco has shown that on average 276 jobs are lost to the local community for each superstore that opens! [4]

As these superstores are in out-of-town sites, this makes them less accessible to non-car owners. And those that do drive have to drive further - last year Britons clocked up an average of 893 miles per year just driving to supermarkets in their cars! [5]

  • [1] Nielsen Marketing Research (1994)
  • [2] Keynote (1997)
  • [3] Business Monitor, PA 1003
  • [5] National Retail Planning Forum (1998) in Monbiot (2000)
  • [4] New Economics Foundation (2003), Ghost Town Britain