Last Wednesday 13th November saw representatives from UK food partnerships across the four nations gather at Portcullis House in Westminster for the Sustainable Food Places Day of Action 2024. Their mission? To present a united call for MPs and the new Labour government to support the establishment of a funded and resourced Local Food Partnership in every local authority area, a food strategy endorsed by the council, and a Good Food Bill in every nation (currently limited to Scotland).
Key aims of the Sustainable Food Places Day of Action
Together the network invited the support of every MP to:
- Champion the cause of their Local Food Partnership and local food organisations in Parliament, including at debates, select committee hearings and elsewhere.
- Visit local food projects and enterprises to better understand the challenges faced by their constituents in accessing and providing healthy and sustainable food.
- Consult with their Local Food Partnership as experts on locally powered solutions to challenges facing the UK.
You can learn more about these calls to action directly from the Sustainable Food Places team here and download the full policy briefing here.
Engaging Members of Parliament
It was encouraging to see so many MPs from far and wide taking time to be part of the event amidst demanding schedules. This included MP for Plymouth Moor View Fred Thomas, who was able to share a discussion with Food Plymouth Coordinator Sophie Paterson ahead of scheduled media interview. We are grateful for his time and look forward to continuing conversations with all three of the MPs serving the city.
The wider South West presence was to be celebrated, with MPs present from across Devon and Cornwall to speak with colleagues representing Food Plymouth, Devon Food Partnership, Sustainable Food Cornwall and Torbay Food Partnership.
Sharing work from Plymouth and beyond
Indeed, the Sustainable Food Places Day of Action 2024 was a particularly exciting opportunity for Food Plymouth, having been invited to contribute to the panel session of four food partnerships sharing specific aspects of their work. It was an honour to be represented in this by Jabo Butera of Diversity Business Incubator, a key Food Plymouth partner in particular with ongoing work around Race, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (REDI for Change) work. He featured alongside representatives from food partnerships in Aberdeen, Cambridge and Carmarthenshire.
Looking forward
As well as drawing on work around Good Food Economy, Food Conversations, REDI and more, Jabo brought with him the voices of future generations. He shared that prior to the event he had asked his daughters for their ‘ask’ of MPs and everyone present in their work to build a better food system. Their answer was to be bold, reminding us that it’s not possible to make an omelette without breaking eggs – a worthy call to action indeed and one that echoed the spirit of the event and the Sustainable Food Places network at its very heart.
Presentation slides by Food Plymouth. Photographs by Jonathan Goldberg for Sustainable Food Places.
