This Guild of Food Writers event, I have been involved in organising is not to miss if you are interested in how food gets to the table. The past 150 years has seen a revolution in food retailing. The concept of multiple retailing pioneered by co-operative societies in 1761 in Lancashire has progressed further than the founders could ever have imagined. Today 85% of the UK food purse is spent in five supermarkets, giving them awesome power over consumers, suppliers and government. But how much do we as food writers really know about how supermarkets operate? This event brings together critics and advocates to enlighten us on the following thorny issues and it will be chaired by Sheila Dillon.
The speakers are opinion leaders in their field rather than experts per say. They are all worth listening to. We have managed to get Alex Renton, who writes for many broadsheet newspapers on food issues. He will speak on– Supermarkets and the supply chain: can anything be done to redress the balance of power? Andrew Opie from the British Retail Consortium to address the question – Can supermarkets benefit both consumers and producers? Tim Hayward, founder of the edgy publication Fire and Knives and former ad man to explore – How supermarkets won the advertising war: are we really too busy to cook? Zoe Williams, jounalist at the Guardian and the Telegraph and feminist to discuss the question – Have supermarkets liberated or enslaved women? And finally -Sophie Bambridge, from the fresh produce supplier Barfoots to consider whether is it possible for supermarkets to help small producers thrive?