Norwich North MP Chloe Smith during her visit to D & F McCarthy warehouse, pictured with Norwich AtMarket founder Richard Walters (centre) and D.F McCarthy Managing Director Martin McCarthy (left).

A city MP visited a new Norwich food business as part of her drive to promote locally-grown produce during her Buy Local challenge.

Norwich AtMarket combines the offerings of 21 Norfolk suppliers through its online home delivery network, aiming to provide fresh low-mileage foods with supermarket convenience to customers in the city.

The company began trading seven weeks ago. Norwich North MP Chloe Smith visited D & F McCarthy in Thorpe, the family wholesale business which handles the new firm’s warehousing.

“Food production and farming are such important industries in this county and it is good to know that new businesses are being established to provide them with more profitable routes to market,” she said.

Richard Walters, managing director of Norwich AtMarket, said: “We are delighted to be working with D & F McCarthy and producers in Norfolk who provide such a high quality, tasty and fresh local food offer. It is clear that consumers are keen to buy local, especially when they know that Norwich AtMarket pay the producer approximately 15pc more than they would receive from the supermarkets.”