From a weekly milk order in a small organisation, to providing hundreds of canteen lunches, sourcing food and drink directly from producers has immediate benefits across the supply chain. Cutting out the middlemen ensures a fair price for local producers, strengthening their role in the food system, creating jobs and boosting the local economy. In turn, your organisation and its staff will benefit from having access to more locally produced food and drink, and knowing the stories that went into making it. A shorter supply chain has less of an impact on the environment, too, thanks to reduced food miles. 

If you only buy in a few products, visiting your local farmers’ market can be a good place to meet producers and see what’s available to buy locally. See the resources section to find your nearest market.

For larger organisations, where food and drink sourcing is centrally coordinated, you might like to take a look at the Going for Gold Food Sector pages, or direct the person responsible for sourcing to there.