The #Leeds food system reflects a post-war #foodsystem that focused on dietary energy supply. This means that most of the fruits and vegetables consumed in the city are transported in from elsewhere, research led by Prof @OrfilaCaroline shows.

The research examined the city’s #foodsystem to assess its resilience in the face of #supplychain and delivery disruptions caused by severe weather, #climatechange and events such as the #COVID19 pandemic and Brexit.

“The local food production system can only provide around 50 per cent of the calories needed by the population, highlighting that ‘eating local’ is not currently possible for everyone" @OrfilaCaroline

The research suggested that a number of actions are needed to improve self-reliance, including repurposing of a number of disused city assets for #foodproduction and distribution

3 steps for change:
- Educate people on the benefits of diets rich in fruits & veg, driving market demand for seasonal produce.
- Incentivise diversification of agricultural and horticultural production.
- Take responsibility for reducing #foodwaste throughout the food chain

Read the research 'Mapping the production-consumption gap of an urban food system: an empirical case study of food security and resilience': https://bit.ly/3rqZsnU 

Read Caroline's @Medium piece: https://bit.ly/3oZFHSL 

Read the YEP article @LeedsNews: https://bit.ly/3pYMEFa