Image Credit: Kai Jerke
The Food Assembly provides local and healthier products for Glaswegians while protecting the environment and emphasizing fresh food sustainability.
The Glasgow Food Assembly will gather at the Drygate on 22 February to offer its consumers local and healthier food.
Placing itself as the second Food Assembly of Scotland, the farmers and food makers of Glasgow’s first goal is to provide sustainable and fresh products to their members.
The food provided by the Food Assembly’s producers is less transported because it is locally grown, making it better for the environment. It is also healthier for the consumers since it doesn’t spend time in distribution systems. In addition, buying the food online prevents food waste since farmers only prepare what is necessary for the orders placed by the consumers.
According to Geraldine Pitt, the Assembly host: “It is important to buy from local producers, not only because of the health benefits, but because it is better for the environment less processed, less transport miles. It also protects the food sustainability and resilience of an area. Ingredients are not processed to allow them to spend time in distribution systems and increase shelf life.”
The Food Assembly, by Lucie Jung
Every time there is an Assembly, the collection is different. This week’s collection is based on luxury and indulgence: six local producers will be there to offer 112 products among different categories such as fruit and vegetables, meat, bread and pastry.
Geraldine added: “Supporting rare breeds of animals and different vegetable and wheat varieties is not only good for our health and our long term sustainability, but also tastier, which shoppers cannot get in a supermarket.”
One of the participating producers, Carishea, offers a selection of beauty and care products (soaps, bathing salts, balms, and moisturizing scrub) to celebrate Mother’s Day on 6 March. Another producer, The Little Sourdough Bakery, offers different types of products made of seasonal and local ingredients.
To become a member of the Assembly, the first step is to create an account on the Food Assembly website. Then, members/consumers have to go to the online shop to select the products they wish to pick up a few days later. After ordering the food on the website, members know that the products they ordered will be fresh.
The Assembly doesn’t play the role of intermediary between the seller and the buyer but rather the role of service provider, as producers set their own prices and sell their goods through the Food Assembly website.
Most of the earnings made from the products go directly to the local producer. The Assembly claims this is around 80% of the price, compared to around 15% for products sold in big supermarket chains.
The Assembly aims to show that supporting local agriculture is a way for consumers to connect directly with their suppliers. By doing so, they hope to create a better way to eat by letting people know what they are buying.
Both consumers and producers can find out more information on how to get involved with the Food Assembly by visiting their website.
Published in Maze Magazine: http://maze-mag.com/food-assemblys-online-market-offers-glaswegians-a-new-way-to-shop-for-fresh-local-food
