Ways in which farming and food producers and public sector procurers could work together to secure a healthy future for Cheshire’s communities and rural industries were discussed at an enlightening conference at Reaseheath College, Cheshire.
Local farmers, food producers, public sector procurers, health providers and policy makers gathered to gain an insight into the Government’s Plan for Public Procurement. The initiative, which is part of the 25 Year Plan for Food and Farming, encourages buyers for government funded public services like schools and hospitals to source food locally. This could result in long term economic sustainability for the food and farming sectors and at the same time enable communities to eat fresh and nutritious food which has less impact on the environment.
The conference, held jointly by Reaseheath College and Cheshire and Warrington Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) in the college’s new Centre for Horticulture, the Environment and Sustainable Technology, gave a packed audience the opportunity to listen to key speakers, ask questions and form plans for working together to secure a more profitable future.