Are people cutting back on buying often expensive local produce because of the credit crunch?
Si: ‘I hope not. Yes, local organic produce can be more expensive than cheap as chips ‘forced’ produce on the supermarket shelves, but it doesn’t have to be. It’s such a simple equation. The more we buy from local producers, the more successful they will be, so they will stay in business. What’s frustrating is that people are trying to make a difference locally, but then you get the big food giants flying food in. People’s attitudes are not going to change if the big supermarkets and manufacturers don’t try to support locally grown home produce too. We need more marketplaces – and they can be in supermarkets – where artisan producers can sell. Some supermarkets are doing well with local produce and that’s great to see. That’s how it should be, with your local supermarket selling local farmers’ meat, dairy produce, eggs and bread instead of the huge food conglomerates selling us everything. People will pay a bit more for a premium product, but if the producer can produce more it will ge
