The city of Bristol is increasingly being seen as a centre for food initiatives and innovation. Being the first city in the UK outside London to set-up a Food Policy Council and winning the European Green Capital award in 2015 meant the city’s food scene became recognised on an international level. Last year Bristol Food Network hosted five visits from Norway, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Spain and Northern Ireland. The groups ranged from 1–8 people and from 1 to several days, all looking for ideas, answers and support. The groups were made up of the municipality, university, third sector, development groups and farmers. Here are some of the areas the groups were interested in:

• Urban food growing, local food production, positioning local produce in retail
• How a city feeds itself
• Farmers’ markets, local street food, consumer groups, online, retail industry 
• Local initiatives, NGOs, local communities and volunteers
• Supply to market, distribution, logistics
• Policy and campaigning
• Public, statutory and private coordination and collaboration, 
• Healthy eating schemes, heritage, public perception and demand

“Our visit to the Bristol region was truly inspirational and we took home with us a lot of useful and practical info regarding how to organize food systems in practice. And a lot of positive energy from the lovely people that keep things going also in the face of resistance and turmoil.” 
Stig Larssæther, Researcher Norwegian University of Science and Technology

“Bristol Food Network simplified and enriched our visit to Bristol. Our group has a mixed level of understanding and interest in the topic so the range of the project visits and individual experts really brought the topic alive in a friendly accessible manner.” 
Shauna, Derry/Londonderry, Northern Ireland

“It was wonderful to have a meeting with different sectors, such as food council, food network and soil association altogether.” 
Ju Jin, South Korea

After understanding the areas of food and issues that interest a group, meetings and visits are arranged and facilitated by Bristol Food Network. Translators and transport around the city can also be booked for you. Each day is carefully scheduled to allow walking and experiencing the city whilst meeting and visiting the most appropriate people and groups to suit specific interests. These include policy writers and developers, local authority, campaigners, growing organisations and companies, distribution companies, farmers’ markets, innovative food retail, corporate supporters and many more. All the groups from last year stated they found what they were looking for and came away inspired and ready for action. 

If you and your group are interested in visiting Bristol and would like us to facilitate your visit, please contact us to discuss options to suit your budget.