The Herefordshire Food Alliance are a broad network involved in local, community and sustainable food action.
Growing out of food poverty mapping (2019), tourism alliances and a previous food strategy (2011), we are all working towards the following vision:
Herefordshire has a thriving, healthy and environmentally benign local food economy, where those on low incomes and in rural areas have access to affordable, healthy food; where food production, processing and distribution systems contribute to landscape and wildlife diversity, minimise waste and consider the impacts of climate change; and where local communities are actively engaged in healthy living and have an increased understanding of the links between food and personal and planetary well-being.
A key partner is Public Health and we link with their health and wellbeing strategies, we are part of the food sub group of the Climate and Nature Partnership Board, also working closely with the land use group and the Rural Hub. We have many joint projects with Herefordshire Wildife Trust and their nature action network.
Food is at the centre of everything, but if an action already exists, we won't reinvent it! We also work cross-border with other Marches food partnerships
The Alliance Steering Team:
- We have currently have a broad, flexible criteria which aims to encourage as many different aspects of 'good' food as possible. We have agreed as a steering team to keep checking in on this so that it helps us keep working with purpose towards our vision.
- There are around thirty of us - many are listed below, and you can find out what they / their orgs are doing on blog posts.
- The Terms of Reference and are here, and Steering Meeting notes here.
- Where there are more specific interest areas, our subgroups take these on, providing more focus in order to get things done. Take a look at the meeting notes to see what subgroups are happening right now.
Some of the group currently steering this Alliance are listed below - you can also find out more about their activities on our blog and links page.
If you are interested in supporting this work as a steering group member please email
Let us know what you're doing towards a thriving, healthy and envionmentally benign local food economy. We look forward to hearing from you!
| Rebecca Tully | Kids Kitchen Collective CIC and Herefordshire New Leaf; also representing Alliance on Climate and Nature Board |
|---|---|
| Flo Stoney (Project Coordinator) | Farm Link Schools project |
| Kristan Pritchard (Key Partner) | Public Health - Herefordshire Council |
| Ruth Pullan | HFA Project Coordinator |
| Helen Parker | Hereford Food Bank |
| Lousia Foti | Growing Local |
| Rachel Jones | Economic Development - Herefordshire Council |
| Be Mackintosh | School Food Consultant |
| Craig Cornish | Waste Transformation Officer - Herefordshire Council |
| Claire Howlett | Wild Cow Dairy, Wicton Farm |
| Nick Read | Brightspace Foundation, Herefordshire Green Network and Borderlands Rural Chaplaincy |
| Jo Hilditch | Whittern Farms |
| Tracey Price | Community Organiser, Herefordshire Wildlife Trust |
| Tim Shelley | Ross Community Garden and Zero Waste Project |
| Will Vaughan | Hereford Pedicabs and Cargo |
| Patrick Wrixon | Farmer / The Cart Shed |
| Sid Freeman | Hereford Baptists |
| Philippa Ellis | Herefordshire Council Talk Community Health and Well Being |
| David Bland | St Martin's FoodShare |
| Christine Hope | Hopes of Longtown Village Shop, ReHefted Growers |
| Mel Groves | The Living Room Cafe and Community Larder |
| Nina Shields | Sustainable Ledbury |
| Jackie Jones | Herefordshire Green Network |
| Sarah Edwards | The Living Room Cafe and Community Larder |
| Claire Watts | National Trust, Herefordshire Council Climate and Nature Board |
What’s the issue ?
Food affects everyone, we all need to eat.
The current climate and nature emergency requires us to urgently address how we get our food. Global events such as extreme weather, the pandemic and political turmoil all affect our food security and ensuring a resilient local food supply should be an important priority for all of us. Food is pivotal to the three pillars of sustainable development: economic, social, and environmental.
ECONOMIC: Food and drink is the largest ‘manufacturing’ sector in the UK and the whole agri-food chain is worth £120billion to the national economy. In Herefordshire almost a quarter of all registered businesses are in ‘agriculture, forestry and fishing’, making it the largest industry in the county overall. The landscape and food offer are important factors in tourism and hospitality which are also important economic drivers locally.
SOCIAL: Food and drink has a major influence on our health. ‘We are what we eat’ and we are facing high levels of chronic diseases, many of which are caused or exacerbated by poor diet. e.g. heart disease, obesity and some cancers. Healthier food choices have a positive impact on personal well-being as well as relieving pressure on the NHS. Food is culturally important, what and how we eat forms part of our identity and sense of place. However, with food and fuel prices rising, more people are finding even basic food unaffordable, making it increasingly difficult to live a life that is more than just surviving. Food banks and community larders have become a lifeline for many people.
ENVIRONMENTAL: Our landscape is shaped by the food we produce. How it’s grown, transported, processed and distributed has major consequences for our environment, including air and water quality, climate change and the habitat of other species. Food is a significant contributor to waste streams and about a third of all food produced is thrown away. Around 70% of household waste is food and food packaging and much of it is not yet recycled.