Food has an important role to play in the local economy, creating our culture, landscape and health. However, with food travelling further than ever before from production to consumption, recent years have seen the demise of many family farms, small shops and local abattoirs, all unable to compete in an increasingly global market. This polarisation of food production has led to a loss of local distinctiveness and craft production with much lower community involvement than in the past. Local communities need to be at the core to direct our food and farming systems by developing local food networks, which bring people together and benefit local economies by keeping food income within the community.
A number of organisations are actively involved in developing and supporting networks for local food, grown, harvested or produced all in one area. Encouraging the community to ‘buy local’ has social benefits of increasing local ownership and participation, diversified employment opportunities and increased democracy of food production. It has environmental benefits too, including reduced packaging, transport costs and intensity of farming practices. Whilst improved nutrient levels through lower transport time, local healthy eating activities and less transportation of animals are likely to be some of the health benefits of such food, the economic benefits are undeniable. These include local economic regeneration, encouraging entrepreneurship and increasing ‘added value’ to the producer.
Conwy has a right to pride itself on supplying some of the finest produce in Wales as its very landscape reflects quality, variety and freshness. Bisected by the Afon Conwy roughly forming the eastern edge of the Snowdonia National Park, the county of Conwy boasts a diversity of topography, which has influenced the agriculture and food produced in this north-western corner of Wales. Whilst the upland hills either side of the Conwy Valley produce the Black Beef and Welsh lamb for which Wales is famous, the rivers, tributaries and sea along its centre and to the north provide an ample supply of fresh fish and shellfish including Conwy’s mussels. In their wake many other small food producers have established in the area, making use of this long-established reputation to create fine chocolates, individual beers, smoked foods and traditional cakes. The movement towards organic food has also taken hold in the county with a number of successful producers of organic beef, lamb and eggs.
