South East Seafood

The development of a London Food Hub, increasing and improving regional food supply chains into London, has entered the business planning phase.  The project, run by the South East Food Group Partnership (SEFGP), is looking to establish if a ‘Hub’ could financially be viable and stand on its own two feet increasing market share for regional food businesses.

 

The business planning phase stems from a feasibility study that was carried out in 2009. This revealed a substantial demand for local and regional food, particularly in the food service sector.  However, this need is not fully met due to a lack of links between buyers and suppliers due to supply complexities such as matching delivery timings and frequency, as well as buyers simply not having the time to source regional food. 

To develop this, the report recommended the development of an e-commerce market place supported by a physical hub for storage and distribution.  This idea was further supported by the continuing rise in interest in food provenance among buyers and consumers.  For buyers in London however dealing with all suppliers individually was not an option. An online environment can provide this platform without suppliers and buyers having to meet in person as well as provide ease of sourcing fresh regional food.

 

Henriette Reinders, MD of SEFGP says: “We envisage the London Food hub to have various functions, such as increasing the profile of regional supply chains into the capital, optimising delivery in order to reduce food miles and product costs as well as providing the opportunity for producers and suppliers to enter the London market and/or extend their market share.
Throughout the business planning phase, which will be carried out by agrifood consultancy Bidwells in conjunction with Azurance, experts in the development of food hubs, we will liaise as much as possible with both suppliers as well as buyers to make sure we get it right and meet their needs.  We will also research various other online food hubs worldwide to learn from their impact.”

Richard Walters, food hub expert comments: “Food hubs have the capacity to transform the regional food sector, but to maximise their effectiveness they need to incorporate the very latest principles of ecommerce.  The opportunities are significant.”

The business plan will be ready by the end of 2010.  The project is managed by SEFGP with financial support from the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA).  Progress can be tracked on www.southeastenglandfoodanddrink.co.uk/londonfoodhub and http://twitter.com/londonfoodhub 

  

A workshop for producer and suppliers will be organised on 21st of September 2010 to explain the vision and test its potential functionality. Follow the link to learn more and reserve a place.