The 5th of August in the food and farming sector was known as #Farm24. A day when all those who are involved in food and farming raise the awareness of the sector and what they do by posting on social media over 24hrs. This initiative was founded by the Farmers Guardian with sponsorship from Morrisons. It’s a great opportunity to promote what you do if you are in that sector and for those that are not to give you an insight into a day in the life of those who farm.
It’s great to see all the posts all over social media platforms and give an insight into those who produce food. But it also made me think of a recent post that I had seen by a food and farming business on social media highlighting their stand at a local event. They were showcasing what they produced and how we should all be supporting local food.
What’s wrong with that I hear you ask? Well nothing except that on their stand they also had a range of commercially available soft drinks to buy. To me, looking at the photo, it told a confusing story. On one hand they were saying support local but on the other they were saying don’t by buying the soft drinks. There are a fantastic range of soft drinks now produced by local businesses so why weren’t they being sold instead?
If we want to support local and engage with our consumers then let’s tell the whole story and not just part of it. We have some wonderful food and drink businesses and we should be collaborating with them to have a united front on local sustainable food. So the next time you are at an event, have a look at what’s on offer and support those that truly support local business.
C’mon businesses, practice what you preach.