Support for Norfolk people wanting to set up their own food co-ops

Sarah BrealeyCommunity groups who want to set up their own food co-operatives are being offered extra help and support.Sarah Brealey

Community groups who want to set up their own food co-operatives are being offered extra help and support.

The region now has a dedicated advisor, Gemma Sayers, to promote and support community-run food co-ops. These can be a group of people who get together to buy directly from producers, which can help them to get better prices or offer a new service to local people.

A food co-op might be a box delivery scheme, market stall, or a mobile or part-time shop and may sell fruit, vegetables, wholefoods, or meat and dairy - whatever the community needs. They have to be owned and run by the community on a not-for-profit basis, usually by volunteers.

The new advisor is part of the Making Local Food Work programme, funded by the Big Lottery and run by a partnership of local organisations including Sustain, CPRE and the Soil Association.

To find your nearest food co-op visit www.foodcoops.org. Local co-ops can also add their details here, or you can look for other people who want to start a co-op. For advice on starting a food co-op, contact Gemma Sayers at gemma@sustainweb.org or 07971 863586. There is also advice at www.sustainweb.org/foodcoopstoolkit.