09 October 2007, 14:43 PM

  • London Food Link has launched the 'local food finder' - an online directory to help businesses in London locate food produced in and around the capital.

The new service is responding to the increasing number of enquiries London Food Link is getting from businesses looking for sustainable local produce.

Oliver Rowe, the BBC’s Urban Chef, enthused, “If the local food finder had been around when I set up my restaurant it would have made my job ten times easier. Now, whenever I want to find a product that’s close to London, I know where to look first.”

Thanks to this new directory, London buyers will now be able to find information on a huge range of local and sustainable producers, searching by criteria such as product type, location and delivery area. This is the first time that information on such a wide variety of producers local to London has been made available in one place. London’s businesses will now be able to search for products that are local to London without having to search one county at a time.

Ben Reynolds of London Food Link explained the business case for keeping it local, “One way for businesses to edge ahead of the competition is to use distinctive, local produce and communicate this to customers. This is backed up by market research - both Mintel and the Institute of Grocery Distribution report increasing consumer demand for seasonal, local and sustainable produce. There is a gap in the London market which businesses could be filling.”

For more information, visit www.londonfoodlink.org