Our findings so far

How can we grow the Local Food Sector?

At the start of the project in 2023, we set out to examine how the sector currently defines ‘local food’. This work is being used to inform the wider project, and was based on a review of pre-existing local food reports, case studies and academic papers.

As well as building on previous and ongoing work on local food led by others, we want to be sure that our approach and recommendations are grounded in the reality of local food systems in practice.

Between Autumn 23 to Spring 24, we interviewed 44 people working on the frontline of food. We spoke to farmers, wholesalers, retailers, buyers and many more across our four nations.

Our aim was to understand our collective vision for local food, the barriers presenting its growth and the solutions we need to see the sector thrive.

Growing the Local Food Sector report

Phase 1 Results

01 A collective vision

02 Barriers

03 Solutions

What do we want to achieve through local food?

In our interviews, we explored participants' visions for a thriving local food system, their motivations for involvement, and their beliefs about the potential of local food. Responses varied, highlighting diverse potential benefits. However, the key themes were enhancing resilience, and improving quality of life.

Local Food Plan - resilience quality of life diagram. Credit:

What’s stopping the growth of the local food sector?

In our interviews, we spoke with various practitioners working in infrastructure, retail, and procurement across the UK. Here's a snapshot of what we heard, out of the many barriers raised:

Key barriers:

Human resource challenges across the sector: Low pay, long hours, and burnout hinder scaling efforts despite increased interest.
Lack of local, sustainable produce supply underscores farm-level issues and the need for government action.
Setup constraints: The local food sector lacks critical expertise and coordination for scaling.
Local food is often a higher cost, which is a challenge for many customers. This is adding to the existing policy and cultural narrative that food needs to be 'cheap'.
Customer demand gap: Public disconnect from food supply chains, an inadequate customer offer, and lack of marketing capacity leading to insufficient demand for scaling.
Infrastructure limitations: Physical and digital infrastructure gaps impede growth.

What is needed to grow the local food sector?

Here is a snapshot of key solutions raised in our interviews, out of many possible solution. The next phase of the Local Food plan will work to explore these solutions and hear from other experts in the sector on which might have the biggest impact.

Policy to level the playing field with bigger players in the sector.
More aggregation in the sector to streamline admin, logistics, processing, marketing etc. Though spaces such as Food Hubs, online platforms, and Cooperatives.
Attract and retain new talent, including those with tech, business, and marketing skills.
Creation of Local Food Strategies and better coordination across governmental departments.
More investment needed that is widely accessible to each of the four nations.
Significant customer demand generation is needed, which includes greater investment into audience understanding and a more convenient customer retail offer.

What next?

We'll be developing these solutions further with stakeholders across the country throughout 2024. To stay in the loop, sign up to our newsletter.

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Local Food Plan growers. Credit: Sheffield Wheat Experiment