|
Devon Food Partnership Newsletter
September 2025
|
|
|
Welcome to this month's Devon Food Partnership Newsletter
After the record hot temperatures this year, harvesting has come a little earlier and some fruit and veg have benefitted with bumper crops. For farmers, however, the volatility of the weather is concerning. Adaptation is required urgently. If you are a farmer in Devon or know any farmers, please let them know about the Agri-Innovation Programme that remains open. There is more about this below along with research findings and information on how you can get involved in food research, campaigns and events.
As always, the Devon Food Partnership is shaped by its participants and driven by the work of our dedicated working groups. While we are proudly hosted and supported by Devon County Council, the strength of our network lies in its collaborative spirit.
If you have news to share or topics you’d like us to cover in future editions, please get in touch with Sushila at sushila.moles@devon.gov.uk.
|
|
Mmmake Your Mark Event Review
1 in 5 people work in the agri-food supply chain in the Great South West but it is often overlooked as a sector for careers. We held a remarkable event on 27th August at the South Devon Food Hub, part of our People, Planet, Profit series.
Bringing together educators, businesses, Local Authority and key people from Devon's food & drink industry, together with Food Drink Devon, we celebrated Mmmake Your Mark. This is a new campaign aimed at raising awareness of the range of employment opportunities across the agri-food supply chain.
Valuable discussions were had at the event. One key action that emerged is the need for stronger connections between businesses and educators, to help shape programmes that are fit for purpose and promote sustainable practices. If you own or work in a food, drink, or farming business and would like to get involved or find out more, please get in touch.
Please find a summary of the Skills event on our website here
|
South West Peninsula
The Devon Food Partnership works with neighbouring Food Partnership's in Cornwall, Plymouth, Food Exeter and Torbay to share best practice and collaborate on projects.
Recently, work has been undertaken with support from Local Food Plan project, to map how much food is produced across Devon and Cornwall, and crucially how much could be. This is an important exploration into food resilience across the peninsula and presents the potential to boost the farming, and, local food economy. The report is yet to be published but you can learn more about the work as Matthew speaks about it in yesterday's How can we unlock the power of local food? webinar from Sustain.
The webinar will be available on Sustain's YouTube channel soon.
|
Health and Diet Inequalities Dashboard
A new map showing disparity in health by area across England. The Food Foundation and London School of Tropical Medicine have used Local Authority data to map geographical disparities in child poverty, dental health, diabetes, fast food outlet density, food insecurity, life expectancy and childhood obesity.
View the interactive map and read the report on The Food Foundation's website
|
Follow the Carrot Report
A new report, Follow the Carrot, reveals the opportunity ahead as free school meals expand to more children across the UK. The research shows the potential for universal school meals could transform both children’s health and British farming: serving 540 million more meals each year and unlocking a £600 million boost for UK farmers. By sourcing more local and sustainable produce – from carrots and potatoes to broccoli – the expansion offers a triple win for healthier kids, thriving farms, and a stronger economy.
Read the Follow the Carrot report on Sustain's website
|
|
|
Get Involved
Join the Campaign: Eat more beans!
Training for you and your Team
Can you contribute to Plymouth University research?
The RASCAL team at Plymouth University would like to conduct short interviews with farmers, policy makers, innovators, food partnerships, community groups, charitable organisations, business networks, food processors, logistics, supermarkets and retailers on resilience in the food system.
If you are interested in the RASCAL project or would like to participate in knowledge exchange/transfer activities, please contact the RASCAL project team at Plymouth: Professor Shaofeng Liu (email: haofeng.liu@plymouth.ac.uk), Dr Huilan Chen (email: huilan.chen@plymouth.ac.uk) or Ning (email: xiaoning.chen@plymouth.ac.uk).
|
Agri-innovation and Support Programme
Green Community Grants
The Wildlife Trusts' Green Community Grants Programme offers one-year flexible funding for not-for-profit groups in England, Scotland and Wales with an annual income between £10,000 and £1 million.
Grants of up to £25,000 are available for:
- Contributing to nature recovery and responding to the climate emergency
- Improving nature-rich spaces and access to them
Funding can also be used for a wider range of sustainable activities, including recycling, litter picking, beach cleans or sustainable transport. Learn more about Green Community Grants and apply Closes on 8th October.
|
Beyond the Bin Fund
Webinar: Follow the Carrot: How can more free school meals boost British farming?
|
Tuesday 23 September 12:00-13:00
Online
To explore the Follow the Carrot report findings in more detail, join Sustain and Bremner & Co to discuss their new research on how school meal expansion can not only feed more children, but also improve the health and sustainability of school food while strengthening links with British farmers producing staples like carrots, potatoes, broccoli, beef and beans.
|
How Now Dairy Autumn Open Day
Dartington, TQ9 6EA
Saturday 21 September 09:30 - 16:00
How Now will be demonstrating their robotic milking, hosting farm tours, with lots of fun activities such as tractor trailer rides, a pop-up farmers market of locally sourced and delicious food – including a Hog Roast!
Find out more and book your ticket here
|
Courtney's Big Apple Pick
Whimple, EX5 2PD
Saturday 21 & Sunday 22 September 11:00 - 17:00
Bring your own apples for crushing or pick theirs. Either way, you'll take home the freshest apple juice and enjoy wandering through one of East Devon's oldest orchards, part of the original 'Whiteways of Whimple' orchards. Part of Taste East Devon Festival.
Find out more about Courtneys Big Apple Pick
|
Local Food Event
Squash Harvest Day
Shillingford Farm, Exeter, EX2 9QQ
Sunday 19th October 11:00-15:00
Join for an Autumnal Sunday on the farm. See how their squash are being grown and pick your own squash. Hop on the tractor for a tour of the farm and return to share warming squash soup around the campfire.
Learn more and book tickets for Squash Harvest Day
|
Sustainability Conference for Schools
Sandy Park, Exeter
Thursday 27 November 09:30-15:30
Designed specifically for school teachers, facilities managers, and sustainability leads who are passionate about driving positive environmental change within their institutions.
This new event will share invaluable insights and practical tools for making your school more sustainable - sharing initiatives that not only help the environment but also save your school money and reduce its carbon footprint.
Book your space at the Sustainability conference: Empowering schools towards a sustainable future
|
|
|
|
|
|
