Introduction : Our food system is having a rough time during the Coronavirus crisis, the retailing industry has tittered for more than a month now. As the hospitality industry closed its door every household was forced to increase the amount of food it had to cook every day. And this as we witnessed endless shortages in supermarkets and shops all over the country on staple products.
At the other end farmers and the food transformation industry have been unable to redirect or sell all the products destined to the hospitality industry stopped overnight. Piles of ripe and colourful fruits, pure white milk-dumping and empty shelves are another stingy reminder of how fragile our food security is.
The inner rigidity and tightness of the food chain and its complex logistics that value ‘just in time delivery’ as a virtue sure represent a part of the problem. But farming is a peculiar industry in such that it is dealing with living forms; you can’t stop a crop from growing or a cow from producing milk overnight. There is a temporality of agricultural production which is not the temporality of food market. Looking at farm investments, most family operated farms invest on decades, sometimes on a lifetime perspective.
UK farming and the whole retail industry has stretched itself to being a slim margin sector where the consumer spend the lowest amount of their income on food in Europe (11% per household vs 15% in France). But somehow some women and men still rely on this low valued output to make a living.
Maybe right now food security and relocalized agricultural production are uptrend but it is worth reminding ourselves that 94% of the UK food is sold by the retail industry. Local food as such is a niche market were the buyer and the producer are willing to make some efforts for increased economic and social benefits (and not environmental). It could mean doing an extra-trip to collect some food, paying more or sorting vegetables…
For farmers it means investing time and sometimes capital. A ruthless selection takes place ditching out those far from valuable consumer markets or on perishable products like milk. For consumers it represents an increased cost or a lasting commitment.
Facing claims of booming local food markets one can only wonder how strong this trend is and whether it will last. Because if we witness a decreased traffic in supermarkets their appeal remains intact for conscious shopper looking for versatility, competitive prices or those trying to limit their contacts with others, even more when consumer will be hit by income uncertainty. In the UK the tightness of retailing channel made it difficult for producer to try to sell their surplus offhand (not mentioning the extra-work required). And the concentration and specialization of farming has deprived most areas of a diversified local food output.
As a student I often tried to go for local food, I feel positive towards it. But often you have to go to a far-off farm shop and it always meant that I was spending a lot more. Both things that I could not necessarily afford at times (until a month ago I didn’t have a car). I also needed time to go to lots of different shops. Most of these consumers still belong to a select few able to afford the extra-mile, the extra-cost, the extra-time.
Increased consciousness of food security threats made possible for many the first extra steps to go towards more localized food systems. Though this niche can only stretch itself to accommodate so many more consumers (due to the inertia of farming) and to fully benefit from this renew appeal, this demand will have to last. For many farmers the contracts granted by the industry will still remain more stable/guaranteed/appealing and more adequate volume wise for most farming systems than local food outlets as well as a lesser burden. A greenhouse is just short of 50000£ without mentioning the rent for the land, a new clean room for milk processing is worth 20000 £.
Maybe it is time to focus on more sustainable food eating habits, thinking about matching the seasonality and the temporality of farm production with our consumtion habits rather than thinking local is good. I went to farm shops with food that wasn't local at all. Whether it’s from Spain, a fridge or a heated-up greenhouse – a farm shop often tries to mimic the all year-round availability of a diverse range of fresh products in supermarkets. Let’s eat swedes, potatoes, cauliflowers, artichoke, apples and pears rather than tomatoes, pepper or mandarins all year round.
This brand is from Brittany France while the picture was taken in a very nice farm shop of gloucestershire.
Food security design right now must include a local and diversified element with accessible channels for everyone to reconnect us with food production. It might come at a cost either for the taxpayer or our purse, but it is only worth how much we value this food security. Having farming seasons synchronized with our habits will be much better for the environment than some of the opportunities offered today. More importantly what matter most is our commitment to it in time as a community to ensure that all its components are retained. From the horticulture farm with its shop to regular beef or dairy farms, everything matters on food security. Local food shops must be part of a better, more inclusive system.
The trends describded could be easily copy-pasted on major EU economies apart from the fact that some of them rely a bit more on local retailers and local weekly food producer market that tend to render a greyer picture.
A couple of very interesting resources on relocalizing food productions opportunities :
https://sustainablefoodtrust.org/podcast/episode-six-john-humphrys/
https://www.economist.com/britain/2020/03/26/village-life-under-lockdown
