Yes
We agree with what the Bill is seeking to achieve and believe it is an important step in the right direction. As noted, the sector has a huge impact on well-being and the environment, issues that are fundamental to our society and will be challenged even further by the crises we know are coming, due to the cost-of-living crisis, the cost of energy, and the climate crisis. The SESG strongly advocates that this sector must be rebalanced and that more power should be in the hands of communities, and not private interests. We need to make significant structural changes to our economy as a whole, and the food sector is an essential part of that.
Social enterprises operate on the principles of the Triple Bottom line; people, planet, profit. This ensures that their social, environmental, economic purpose is at the heart of what they do. Many have environmental objectives and improving the local area at the heart of their social aims. It is also worth noting that many social enterprises have embedded circular economy principles within these environmental objectives. For these reasons, it is essential that the existing work and potential of social enterprise are recognised and supported within the Bill and the outputs it seeks to implement.
The social enterprise sector is ready to play a key role in answering the challenges that our communities are going to face. The Social Business Wales Food Network for social entrepreneurs is designed for social entrepreneurs in the food industry, to help them create connections with each other, grow their supplier networks and access the support they need to keep growing. This joined-up sector of innovative social entrepreneurs can play a key role and the Bill and its Goals, Strategies and Commission should recognise this and take advantage of the knowledge and experience within the sector already.
Yes
Legislation can work both as a means of ensuring immediate impact and compliance, as well as clearly outlining that change is essential and ensuring a change in culture and mindset. The Welsh Government already has lots of relevant legislation and policy to be used as a guideline. However, it is important to recognise that legislation, despite often being an intensive and time-consuming process, is not enough in its own right. There needs to be consistent engagement with public sector institutions, the private sector, the third sector and wider communities to ensure that the change outlined as being desirable or necessary is implemented and achieved. There needs to be a proactive attitude of supporting groups or organisations who can deliver this change and providing the platforms and structures for this to happen, to be discussed, and to be replicated across the country.
We recognise that having targets is a useful way of showing the tangible impact that the Bill can make, and demonstrate the type of change that is the purpose of this intervention. It is an important way of ensuring policy and vision is implemented, and of holding government and other stakeholders to account. However, it is not enough on its own, and partners and stakeholders must be supported throughout this process.
Achieving the Food Goals will require co-ordination of, and working with, the sector and communities. Making use of existing networks and community groups to do this will be an essential part of ensuring the changes that are required can happen as quickly as possible.
This would be an important step in order to ensure appropriate people are held to account and to scrutinise the policies that are being developed and implemented.
A Welsh Food Commission can play an important role in ensuring policy is joined-up, effective, evidence-based and draws on the knowledge and expertise of the sector as a whole. However, in order for this to be successful, we must learn from experiences of other similar Commissions and Boards and ensure that it is representative and has a role and set objectives.
Agree that a Commission of this type could have a significantly beneficial role in achieving the objectives of the Bill with these goals and functions. However, the effectiveness of the organisation will be influenced significantly by the people who make it up, and the Ministers of the Welsh Government. A positive relationship between these stakeholders is essential, and advice must be genuinely taken on board and have a clear and tangible influence on policy development.
We believe it is essential that there is clear representation for the wider community on this Commission, as well as economic models within the food sector that prioritise community-led development and social value.
Yes, having a national food strategy will be an important way of joining up the numerous areas of policy that have a significant impact on food, the food sector and wider communities. For the strategy to be effective, it will have to cover the wide-ranging areas (economic development, community-led development, procurement, interventions on poverty, and many more) but with a clear focus and with tangible elements within the strategy. It is essential that this strategy takes into account the expertise within the sector in Wales, and that then, there must be an important role for scrutinising this strategy and resulting interventions.
Yes – we believe that embedding a local and community-led development in strategy for the food sector is an important part of developing a resilient and sustainable sector. Several social enterprises and community-led groups operating in the food sector in Wales are locally-focused, and allowing and facilitating them to interact and influence the development of policy that impacts the sector will be crucial to ensuring effective implementation and the objectives of this Bill.
Case studies:
Swperbox CIC is Wales’ own meal box delivery company. Swperbox was born to combat the long-term impact of the coronavirus pandemic here in Wales, creating sustainable careers, investing in community food education and supporting a network of Welsh Food Producers to improve food security. They create, manufacture and distribute meal boxes across South and West Wales. They believe in a collaborative approach to tackle some of the economic and environmental challenges ahead.
The Open Food Network is a not-for-profit, co-operative open-source platform enabling new, ethical food and drink supply chains. Food producers can sell online, wholesalers can manage buying groups and supply produce through networks of food hubs and shops. Communities can bring together producers to create a virtual farmers’ market, building a resilient local food economy.
Aber Food Surplus is a pioneering not-for-profit social enterprise focused on tackling food waste and delivering meaningful community change. It aims to tackle the root causes of problems and do this in a collaborative, creative and constructive way. It is acting on climate change, and doing it now, where it believes it can make a difference in its local community. Its vision is to facilitate Aberystwyth to become a zero-food waste town and in the process provide empowering opportunities and build local food resilience.