Ethical Sourcing
At Village Earth Foods we believe there are different ways to source ethically and they all have their strengths – and sometimes weaknesses. We believe that you should have the information to make your own judgements.
Organic food is produced to exacting environmental standards and is thought by many people to be more nutritious, and tasty. To see our short analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of organic production – click here. To learn more about organic standards – click here.
Local food (which we define as sourced within 50 miles of our shop) supports local producers, reduces food miles (as long as we don’t all drive miles to the farm shop to get it!) and shortens the supply chain. It reconnects us to how our food is produced in a very direct way. It may or may not be organic. Click here to read a short analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of local food. To see further information about our local suppliers please click here.
Fair Trade food is food which has been sourced from developing countries according to a specific standard whereby the actual producer receives a fair price (with a premium) rather than a middle man. There are arguments about whether or not this is a good or a bad thing for the economy in general in those countries – but we believe this approach has some merits. There are other sourcing schemes which seek to achieve similar outcomes. Click here to read a short analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of Fair Trade food. Click here to learn more about the Fair Trade movement and other accreditation schemes.
