Monmouthshire County Council is celebrating the “incredible work” of Food Partnerships across the country, including the work of Monmouthshire Food Partnership.
Food Sense Wales has recently published the Local Food Partnership Status Report, showcasing the diverse food activities happening all over the country.
Monmouthshire County Council has adopted organisation-wide food strategies, setting measurable targets for procuring and providing local, healthy, and sustainable food.
One project which has been implemented by the Monmouthshire Food partnership is the Welsh Veg in Schools, a pilot project co-ordinated by Food Sense Wales that aims to get more organically produced Welsh vegetables into primary school meals across Wales.
Working with partners including Castell Howell, Farming Connect Horticulture and a host of growers, the Welsh Veg in Schools project is helping to get more locally produced organic vegetables into school lunches.
Recognising that Welsh organic vegetables are more expensive than vegetables which are conventionally grown, the pilot has covered the price gap between local, organic produce and standard prices. In spring 2024, Food Sense Wales received additional funding from the Bridging the Gap programme to scale the project and expand its reach across the public sector.
What began as a small pilot project has since grown into a movement and in 2024, Welsh Veg in Schools served 200,000 portions of fresh, organic veg in more than 200 schools across Wales, including 12 primary schools in Monmouthshire.
The Status of Local Food Partnerships in Wales 2025 report offers a snapshot of the current landscape, highlights best practices from the 22 Local Food Partnerships, and includes valuable feedback from partnership members.
Leader of Monmouthshire County Council, Mary Ann Brocklesby, said:
“There’s a good food movement happening all across Wales, and we’re proud to be part of it.
“Local food partnerships are some of the key drivers of change. They bring together public bodies, community food growers, and the voluntary sector to develop local solutions for food resilience.”
