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On Thursday 25th of February, the Future Economy Network hosted an online panel discussion entitled ‘Food for Thought’, which was attended by a wide range of delegates who enjoyed some pre-seminar networking in small break out rooms. The event welcomed a panel made up from Network members: Soil Association, Farm Wilder, Michelmores, The Community Farm and Bishop Fleming. Our speakers discussed the role of the food industry in the climate emergency and how recent events have affected businesses within this sector.
Katherine Piper, Director of the Future Economy Network, highlighted the benefits of joining the Network and also shared updates about their carbon neutral Hub in Bristol, Future Leap. Katherine briefly updated attendees on the plans for the Festival of Sustainable Business.
Christian Crawford, Audit Manager at Bishop Fleming, kicked off our first discussion, ‘2020 Changes: Where are we with Brexit and Covid19?’. He gave an overview of the topic, highlighting the impacts Covid19 and Brexit have had on commercial and manufacturing businesses. This focussed on the resilience required by companies to rethink business models and adapt to changing consumer demands and trade policies. Christian also discussed the role of Covid19 and Brexit in providing opportunities to improve industry sustainability.
Rachel O’Connor, Senior Associate at Michelmores, followed on from Christian, highlighting the changes occurring within the farming sector. She mentioned how Covid19 has allowed people to realise the importance of green spaces and reconnect with where our food is coming from, as well as shaping Brexit agricultural policies. Rachel also touched upon approaches to positively engage farmers with sustainable practices.
Next, we welcomed Lee Holdstock, Senior Business and Trade Development Manager at the Soil Association, to discuss the growth in the organic food market. He outlined the role of Covid19 and Brexit in driving an increase in demand for organic produce and shifting consumer incentives regarding both health and food security. Lee then spoke about the challenges in high organic food prices, explaining the hidden costs of cheaper food.
Adding on to this, our next panel speaker, Tim Martin, Founder of Farm Wilder, discussed the issues within the food industry causing inequality of sustainable food prices. He also touched upon the benefits of regenerative farming and its role in sustainable meat production. Tim then highlighted the impact of Covid19 on the sustainable meat trade.
Kim Brooks, Managing Director at The Community Farm, was the last to speak in our first discussion. She spoke about the importance of building better agricultural systems to regenerate our overexploited land, as well as engaging communities with organic horticulture. Kim outlined the role of Covid19 in boosting sales of organic vegetable boxes at organic farms such as The Community Farm. This led her to highlight the uncertainties of the pandemic regarding future consumer demand for vegetable box schemes and the impacts this may have on business.
This was followed by a Q&A, which prompted an interesting discussion on the ‘premium’ status of organic food. Rachel ended our first discussion with a call to action drawing on potential issues with Brexit’s agricultural policy.
Our second discussion, ‘Communication and Consumer Behaviour Change’, was started by Tim who touched upon the need to approach mainstream consumers. He mentioned that organic produce should be a baseline and through adopting methods such as regenerative farming, we can focus on improving biodiversity. Tim also spoke about the variety of sustainable certifications which can be confusing for consumers and stated that the best way to communicate with them is by addressing their interests.
Lee then expanded on this confusion consumers face and highlighted the need to support organic farmers using both societal and material approaches, some of which can be achieved through ensuring clarity with consumers.
Kim ended the panel’s talks by focussing on the importance of simplifying our food systems through reconnecting with the land and reminding ourselves where our food comes from. This was followed by a Q&A and a call for action from Christian, who encouraged attendees to start regular conversations about food to increase awareness about what we are consuming.
During all discussions, the audience were invited to ask questions and take part in the conversation throughout. Multiple attendees made use of the 60 second pitch opportunity, including Garrett Creative, Better Food, Bristol Pay, Future Resources/Bristol Bites Back Better and Elizabeth Westaway. Everyone was then able to network in different groups using facilitated break out rooms before the event finished. A huge thank you to the speakers and attendees of this event, without which our events calendar would not be possible.
Write up by Beth Gerrard, Level 3 BSc Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Science Student, University of the West of England