Building Your Local Food Community

Community

For 22 years we have been working on changing the food industry by getting people to switch from the supermarkets to local producers and outlets, and in the process help build more sustainable, healthy, inclusive, food communities.

Communities where:

  • producers are encouraged to grow food for local people because they get more for their produce than the average 9p in every £1 they get if they sell to the supermarkets
  • people and schools grow, trade and swap food to save money and food miles
  • people share recipes and knowledge for health & wellbeing

Why Buy Local?

Community

Sweetcorn and asparagus are best cooked when ‘just picked’ for flavour and nutrients.

A friend of mine will make sure the water to cook his sweetcorn is boiling on the stove before he picks a home grown cob.

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Reduction in Food Miles

The UK imports around 40%-50% of the food it consumes.

Flying in food typically creates around 10 times more carbon emissions than road transport and around 50 times more than shipping.

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Support for Local Businesses

Buying local food supports your local farms and businesses.

On average for every £1 we spend on food in the supermarket the farmer only gets around 9p.

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BigBarn Community Projects

Crop for the Shop

Our Crop for the Shop initiative helps local shops source more local fresh produce and encourages people to grow food and make money from any surplus.

It’s a way of reconnecting consumers with their local businesses and to help build a new, exciting and community-led local food supply chain.

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Schools Project

Our ‘foodie’ Schools Project is about helping schools get food growing, cooking, trading and putting nutrition at their core.

We also want to help schools build their own circular economies so will be working on food waste including composting, and recipes to re-use leftovers instead of throwing them away.

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How to Support BigBarn

Competition

Win one of three £25 vouchers. Check out your local outlets and make sure they are on BigBarn and with up to date details.

Become a Friend

Add a banner to a website, yours or a friend’s. You can even have our Map or MarketPlace on your site.

Support Us

Help divert some of the £120 billion spent in UK supermarkets, directly to farmers and local/community shops.