The Green Party

Sunday, November 12, 2006

Letter to Sutton Guardian- Apple festival in Carshalton

Dear Editor

How much I agree with Mrs Nash who wrote in to praise the English Apple festival at Country Harvest greengrocers, Carshalton in lasts week’s issue. It’s such a refreshing change to have genuine local produce, variety, taste and difference in our midst, as well as supporting the beleaguered English apple grower. This initiative trumps the farmers’ markets where sadly much of the food on offer isn’t really all that local.

Although some supermarkets are slowly responding to consumer demand for variety, the fact is that supermarkets have stitched up food producers over many years with unreasonable demands on size, appearance and cost, and are largely responsible for the dismal situation today where nearly all our apples are the same two or three types, and almost all imported. This is the economics of the madhouse of course, and is replicated across pretty much the whole food industry. So let’s strike a blow for tasty local produce free of a massive food miles footprint by supporting the remaining independent shops like Country Harvest.

Sincerely

Bob Steel

Chair, Sutton & Croydon Green Party

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