Misleading food advertising

Fresh local veg

Getting ready for work this morning I spotted two very dodgy TV adverts. Tesco ‘price promise’ and Walkers crisps.

Misleading because those watching will think Tesco must be ‘cheapest’ when on many products local suppliers are cheaper due to a shorter supply chain.

And Walkers, claiming they are a caring company, by sourcing flavouring ingredients from British producers. Quality crisp makers like Pipers, Fairfields, Just Crisps, Burts and Corkers have been doing this for years.

A few years ago pressure from these high quality crisp makers made Walkers switch from frying their crisps in Palm Oil, high saturated fat, to the much healthier, sunflower oil.

When Walkers ran an advertising campaign about the switch it was cut short when people like me asked why it had taken them so long!

So please ignore these dodgy adverts and shop locally to find better, fresher, food that is normally cheaper than the supermarket. And ask questions to get the facts and the story behind the food you buy and feed to your family.

Grow your own and Crop for the Shop

1942 Poster

Grow your own is growing in popularity. Even the government are now telling us to Grow our own to avert food shortages.

In these austere times should we all start growing our own to save money? Or is growing food more about enjoying the satisfaction of planting a seed and slowly watching it turn in to delicious food?

At this time of year asparagus is the god of fresh vegetables and a shining example of how quickly a food can spoil as time passes after picking. Sweetcorn is the same, my friend Nick insists that his wife has the water boiling before picking his corn, and removing the husk as he runs back to the kitchen!

Really fresh sweet corn

This is the kind of passion and enthusiasm we Brits need to feel about our food, and I am sure that growing food helps. Certainly the project we ran with a primary school proved this, with kids who said they hated vegetables munching on raw carrots they had grown. Click here for the video.

At BigBarn we are keen for everyone to have a go at growing food and even start trading it locally with our Crop for the shop scheme. All part of our mission to build a social, LOCAL, food industry, as an alternative to the anti-social national one, that gives neither producers, or consumers, a good deal.

There is no doubt that by cooking and eating fresh fruit and veg, half this country’s population would become more healthy, and save money. Seasonal vegetables are normally very reasonably priced compared to a ready meal, or imported food, especially if sourced locally.

A home baked potato could cost around 5p compared to a McCane ready made one, in a box, for 50p. Likewise a soup made from chopped mixed veg and some stock cubes will be a fraction of the cost of tinned soup and much more nutritious.

BigBarn Local food map with icons & rosette flag

Growing veg can also kindle some artistic flair like my bean pole wigwam made from willow poles pruned from a local overgrown willow tree.

So there are now 4 reasons to grow your own; save money, get healthy, get enthused and artistic accolade, and, make money by selling your veg through local shops.

To find these shops look for icons marked with a rosette on BigBarn, if your local food shop is not flagged with a rosette, or not on BigBarn, please tell them all about us.

Farm Shops. According to BigBarn.

Farm shops come in all shapes and sizes, from farmers selling their own produce from a shed, to a mini zoo with super-duper small warehouse full of products from all over the world. One thing, we at BigBarn, hope they all have in common is, a reasonable quantity of local food and the ability and enthusiasm to tell the ‘story’ of that food.

The ‘story’ means reconnecting consumers with the production of their food, how it has been produced, where, and by whom. Really important if the shop wants add value, display a real difference to the supermarket and to win customers.

Fiona at the Loch Arthur Farm Shop

Farm shops started when farmers realised that they were only getting a small percentage of the retail price if they sold their produce through the existing supply chain. My family for instance get around £100/ton for onions, marked up to around, the equivalent of, £800/ton on the supermarket shelf.

The first farm shop must have started when a farmer with shed beside a busy road put a sign out and people dropped in to buy, the rest is history.

Since then the planners have restricted many shops from being set up, normally insisting that new farm shops must stock a very high percentage of produce from the farm or local radius. In time however shops can appeal and the percentage be reduced by arguing that customers will be lost, if a wider range of goods are not available. Hence the small warehouses.

So what does the perfect farm shop look like? And this is where I perhaps upset a few farm shops on our map!

First of all a farm shop must live up to its name and be farm centric completely differentiating itself from the supermarkets. If it is based around a farm and local produce many seasonal products should be cheaper than the supermarket because the supply chain is shorter.

Prices can be kept low by inviting local consumers to Crop for the Shop with really fresh and perhaps unusual fruit & veg. There could be a special section of home grown local produce. Prices can be set 25% less than the supermarket and still give the shop and grower a good return.

The farm shop should make every effort to label where everything comes from including local farmers names and pictures. I would also like to see many of the farmers at the shop once a month to answer questions and talk about their produce, like a farmers market.

If possible the shop should have animals around the shop and car park to attract children and raise awareness to where meat comes from. Likewise an area should be available for Pick Your Own fruit and veg and perhaps a community supported agricultural scheme where locals are encouraged to join in and learn how to grow food.

Likewise most farm shops have a cafe that could be made available for cookery demonstrations or classes, to help locals move away from expensive salty ready meals, to fresh home made food from inexpensive local ingredients.

I would also love to see farm shops celebrating the seasons with open days, tastings and demonstrations. Asparagus day, or Apple day, where locals can bring their windfalls to be juiced or made in to cider. Perhaps Sausage day, Winter warmer Soup day, and Turkey collection day!

Farm shops should become the centre of the food community, reconnecting people with food and encouraging locals to get involved with growing and cooking. There is no reason why they can’t also be the centre of food swaps of home cooked meals.

Family Farm Shop

A BIG problem at the moment is that farm shops suffer from a Catch 22 position. Not enough people are using their local farm shop for it to grow into the perfect shop, above. And until they grow, people think there is not enough produce available for a one stop shop, like the dreaded supermarket!

So please catalyse the process and find and support your local farm shop and tell them about the ideas above. And tell your friends, if we all change our habits, to local for our weekly food shop, and the big shop once a month, we can build a more sustainable, healthier LOCAL food industry.

Crazy and Confused priorities of modern life prove we need to change

In the last 100 years we have seen amazing changes in the food industry. We can now go to a big shop and get everything we need, and as a percentage of our income, food is cheap. But what are the consequences? Should we make changes, and how? First, here are some pretty crazy facts.

We live in a country where we have 1,000+ varieties of apple, yet two thirds of the apples consumed are imported

Farmers only get an average of 9p in every £1 spent on food in a supermarket.

Many children do not know where their food comes from, are obese and only eat salty ready meals.

There has been a 50 per cent increase in diabetes in the UK in the last five years.

Milk is cheaper than water in some shops and the number of UK dairy farmers has halved in the last 10 years

Some people are happy to pay 75p for a ready made baked potato when they could put a fresh one in the oven for 5p

Non-organic food is subsidised by the taxpayer making organic food much more expensive

We are living in a world today where lemonade is made from artificial flavors and furniture polish is made from real lemons.

30% of road freight is food related.

The same percentage of food is wasted including 190,000 granny Smith apples per year.

40% of the worlds grain production is fed to animals and if trends continue could feed half the estimated worlds population by 2050.

GM crops are growing all over the world and promoted by profit focused corporates.

If these trends continue what is the world going to look like. Will kids only eat ready meals and the majority of any fruit and veg consumed be imported? Will all our milk and meat come from vast factory farms? How long before someone makes a mistake transferring the wrong gene in to a food crop?

If the above is not scary enough perhaps we need another food scare to encourage change.

Change away from a commodity food chain to a local supply chain, where local producers are reconnected with consumers to trade and communicate.

Where food is produced, consumed and enjoyed with the seasons. (Excess apples are juiced or made in to cider). Farmers get a better price, are encouraged to grow more food crops and employ local people. Kids find out about food and encouraged to grow, and trade, their own. And there is no need for engineered crops owned by profit focused corporates.

So we, the masses, need to take action and change. Not hard change but easy change. To buying local, where food is fresher and often, cheaper, without retailer and middle men margins.

An easy change in attitude, to enjoy cooking fresh ingredients, with the whole family, instead of Mum having the ‘chore’ of cooking for fusspots. To growing and trading our own and joining in with community food events, like the Jubilee, big lunch, apple day, etc.

BigBarn is here to help and please tell your friends. To read more about building a local food industry by click here

How you can help build a new LOCAL food industry

We need a LOCAL food industry to replace the anti-social national food industry where supermarkets are charging consumers too much for food, but giving farmers too little to stay in business.

A local food industry will reconnect producer with consumer and encourage trade and communication. More people will eat seasonal produce and in so doing encourage further production. By cutting out the middle men and supply chain, food becomes cheaper and all the revenue stays in the local economy.

Much better than the average 9p currently going to farmers for every £1 spent on food in the supermarket.

If you would like to help build your local food industry we have the tools and welcome your support.

BigBarn was set up 12 years ago with the mission to get people out the supermarket and build a local food industry.

We are a Community Interest Company, effectively owned by the Community of businesses on our map and the Community of consumers visiting our content. You.

To build a LOCAL Food Industry our strategy is to;

1. To have the definitive database of local producers and independent retailers
2. Give them all passwords to update their details regularly
3. Display them on post code specific maps and get the map and data on as many other websites as possible
4. Provide an e-commerse facility so each can set up an online shop and be within an Amazon type local food MarketPlace
5. Provide a long list of benefits and discounts on products and services to make each business more competitive
6. Set up initiatives like ‘Cheaper than the Supermarket’, ‘Crop for the Shop’, & ‘KIS Cookery‘ to encourage consumers to switch to local and get enthused about cooking.

So far we have 7,000 producer/retailer icons on our map, all with a password to update their page including; video, photos, online shop, etc.

We have 21,000 consumers receiving our postcode specific newsletter, and 440 producers in our online MarketPlace.

We also have around 90 other websites hosting our map and MarketPlace.

To see a partner website click here.

If you would like to help you can;
1. Type your post code in here and tell us if there are any errors or omissions on your local food map info@bigbarn.co.uk
2. Register for our free emailed newsletter to be kept up to date on national and local food news, including special offers added by your local producers/retailers.
3. If your local producer/retailers have not added a video, online shop, joined Crop for the Shop, or got a proper description. please tell them to call us on 01480 890 970 or about these benefits of joining up
4. Perhaps offer to do a quick video for your local producer/retailer
5. Try out our online MarketPlace where 450 icons have added 10,000+ products (you can use discount code BB1 on this page)
6. Add a recipe video to our KIS (Keep it Simple) video Cookery channel to help more people cook, you could even be discovered and become the next famous chef!
7. Start growing your own and sell any excess via your local Crop for the Shop outlet. If there isn’t one on your local map ask your local shop or post office to set up a table and print off our poster. They are then eligible to join BigBarn. (This concept has been a life saver for some small shops increasing their stock and becoming the centre of the community)
8. If you know any websites that would like to have our map, MarketPlace and KIS Cookery and earn through our affiliate scheme, please tell them to call us.
9. If you believe in what we are doing and would like to help financially you can donate here or call us about buying some shares.
9. Please TELL YOUR FRIENDS!! We can make this happen.

As usual we welcome your feedback below, and would like to know if a loyalty scheme would encourage you do any of the above?

New Year’s, food, resolution

Findwine.co.uk

A fantastic new year to everyone from us all at BigBarn. We hope that in the hard times to come you will still be able to eat great food and save money.

The best way to do this is to give up the supermarket and shop locally for seasonal foods that are nearly always cheaper. (You will also avoid the bogofs and DVDs you don’t need).

Buying local food means getting a bit more organised with your shopping list and dusting off a few recipe books to make the best of what is available.

And please don’t treat cooking as a chore, it can be a creation experience to be proud of and worth celebrating with family and friends.

It is always really worth while to get the kids involved, they are the future and should be much more creative than us oldies. They can even watch video recipes to feel more 21st century!

We also hope you, and the kids, can join our Crop for the Shop scheme and grow some fruit and veg to supply the dinning room table, as well as earn by selling through the local shop. Growing veg is a great way to get kids interested in proper foods and trying natural foods raw.

2012 should be a great year for BigBarn now that local food is cheaper, and better, than the supermarket. We will be making big changes, and adding more features to help reconnect consumers with producers and encourage local trade. The more trade the more food local farmers will produce, and the cheaper it will become.

We really hope you will get involved, grow and cook, and email us with any news, errors, or omissions relevant to our local food map.

HAPPY 2012 TO YOU ALL!

Supermarket arrogance; picture of asparagus on the back of Tesco vans

planetgreen.discovery.com

By promoting Asparagus on the back of their delivery vans Tesco is telling customers not to worry about food miles, or British seasonal foods. To me, another sign of their arrogance and complacency.

The UK asparagus season is normally from mid April to the end of June, and should be eaten the same day as picked to get the full flavour and goodness. This is true of many other seasonal fruits and vegetables, and is part of the rich variety of tasty nutritious foods available to us all in this green and pleasant land. As many seasonal foods mature they are very often plentiful, and therefor cheap, especially if bought direct from the producer.

The supermarkets would rather we did not buy seasonal food, unless they have them in stock, and can make their usual high margin. Only giving the producer less than 20% of the retail price.

By persuading customers to eat products, like asparagus, all year round they can make their usual high margins and plan their shelf stacking and sales in advance, without having to worry about when seasonal produce is available from local farms.

This is always obvious when English apples are in season, you will see plenty on local trees, but none on the supermarket shelf. A few weeks later some English apples will appear but only about 10 of the 1,000+ varieties we have in the UK. Only those varieties that have a long shelf life meet the supermarket specification.

We consumers really must realise that supermarkets do not care about; 1. supplying us with quality food at the right price, or, 2. giving British farmers a fair price.

They simply want us to become addicted to their loyalty schemes and making as much profit as possible from every shopping basket.

The great news is that most of us have an alternative. There are thousands of other places to buy food on BigBarn’s Local food map. Many places are cheaper than the supermarket, with most promoting local produce that is fresher and more nutritious.

Edible Todmorden, Veg in the Church yard

The tide is turning and there are places where no one shops at the supermarket, and many foods are free, yes free! Like edible Todmorden

In a these austere times what a fantastic way to save money and pull communities together. One of BigBarn’s jobs is to help many more communities follow this initiative with so many positive outcomes, including, cheaper, better, food, improved diet and knowledge of food +++.

Exciting times, as always, your comments are welcome below.

Curing a Mad, Mad world with Food

I think most people agree we live in a mad world. 10% of the worlds population owns 85% of total assets, over 3 billion people (nearly half the world) live on less that $2.50 per day, and in the UK milk is cheaper than water in some shops.

People are starving when, according to expert Colin Trudge; ‘everyone who is ever liable to be born could be well fed, forever, not simply on basic provender but to the highest standards of nutrition and gastronomy.’

I strongly recommend you read his article ‘Feeding people is easy‘

According to Colin; ‘If we get the food right then everything else that we need and want in life—good health, fine landscapes, the company of other species, peace, amity, personal fulfilment can start to fall into place.’

Wow, his article certainly makes sense and with facts like; ‘We currently feed well over half the staples that could be feeding us, to cattle, pigs, and poultry. So instead of helping us to feed ourselves, our animals compete with us. By 2050, on present trends, the world’s livestock will consume enough to feed four billion people.’

Madness. But what can we do? Quite a lot, and hopefully start a trend that could spread around the world. The three main problems we have at the moment are; 1. appalling animal welfare making meat too cheap 2. in this country, only 9p in every £1 spent of food going back to the farmer and 3. lack of cooking knowledge and enthusiasm (despite all the shows on TV)

The corporate world has acquired the food industry, taking the other 91p in the £1 and is milking it, for all it is worth.

The exciting consequence is that the corporates have become greedy and complacent, thinking they also ‘own’ the consumer. Luckily, in this green and pleasant land, we have an alternative; Local food producers, who are cheaper and better.

If we switch to local nearly all of the £1 we spend goes back to the farmer and community. This encourages greater production and diversity, increasing employment and getting people involved in their local food industry. Sharing recipes, cooking, preserving and even cider making.

With our Crop for the Shop initiative local people, kids, or schools can even join, and earn, from the industry. Food could become the community builder for the future.

And animal welfare? Successive legislation has not been enough. We simply don’t have the right to keep animals the way many are ‘farmed’. Corporates have taken over and show the consumer great packaging and the tasty, sauce covered, product on a plate. Carefully hiding the story of its production. To see an example of this and the horror of pig farming click The Pig Business

If we embrace, and switch to, a local food industry, we may need to pay a bit more for really good meat and perhaps cut down a little. We will however save money, have a clear conscience, and in time, be healthier, and live in a better, more sustainable, community.

Or am I just dreaming? Your thoughts are very welcome below. Or if you agree switch to local using the BigBarn local food map, and tell your friends.

Cancer Cure and Cheap Veg?

I was phoned yesterday morning by a lady wanting a large bag of organic beetroot for her sister who had cancer. She wanted to make juice every day and it had to be organic as root crops absorb any nasty elements in the soil.

After a quick search in the BigBarn MarketPlace I found an organic supplier and was quoted £25 for a 25kg bag, as the Tesco price was £1.80 a bunch, and the delivery cost £6.10, our customer was very happy.

So we are now thinking of asking veg suppliers in MarketPlace to sell 10 or 25kg bags of root veg. Especially onions, beetroot, potatoes, parsnips and carrots, that store well in a cool larder. Your feedback below is very welcome.

To buy the organic Beetroot and other root veg online and get a delivery, visit Ashurst Organic or use our local food map to find your nearest supplier and ask if you can pay a lower price if you buy a large bag.

For more on Beetroot and cancer there are many interesting articles on the internet. click here for articles. If I was unlucky enough to get cancer nutrition is definitely one of the first things I would change.

Oversupply of Onions BUY NOW!

My ‘onion growing’ cousin told me today that the price of onions has collapsed to about £45/tonne. The supermarkets are selling them at 46p/kg, £460/tonne. Nothing new there!

UK farmers have had very good yields this year so there is oversupply and the price has dropped, lower than their production cost. Helped further by Dutch growers dumping onions on our market. Apparently it is cheaper for the Dutch to send them here at a net price of just £8/tonne than to pay for them to be disposed of! (£8/tonne is 16p for a 20kg bag!)

So, find an onion grower, or ask your local farm shop, using our local food map, and get your recipe books out. Onion soup, Goulash, tart, lasagne, flan, shepherd pie, stews, beef burgers, bolognese, to name a few. Indeed most soups and dishes are improved with onions.

Onions also store extremely well kept in a cool dry place.

This is another example of how the national food industry does not work for farmers or consumers. How many people noticed that the price of onions has dropped in the supermarket, or that farmers will make a loss?

In a local food industry, consumers hear about onions being cheaper and are encouraged to buy more onions, especially if producers add recipe cards to the onion display.

Perhaps more important, by supplying local farm shops and small retailers, farmers are encouraged to grow a wider range of products, rather than specialise, as most do at the moment.

And onions are very good for you, so here’s to a hot soup, warning stew, healthy winter. If you have a great onion recipe please feedback below.