LONDON'S Green Euro-MP Jean Lambert and Deputy Mayor
Jenny Jones joined forces this week to launch the UK leg of an EU-wide campaign
for good quality, healthy, tasty, GM-free, organic, cruelty-free and fairly-traded
food.
Jean and Jenny launched the European Greens' food campaign at world-renowned Borough Market, calling on stall-holders and hundreds of shoppers to 'join the food revolution'.
Mrs Lambert, London's Green Party Euro-MP and an outspoken critic of the spread of junk food, said: "We launched our campaign at Borough Market - one of the capital's 'hotspots' for locally produced, organic and gastronomic food - to call on shoppers, farmers and traders alike to join the food revolution.
We have taken the message to Enfield and Haringey, and will be inciting shoppers to join the 'food revolution' in high streets across the capital over the next couple of weeks.
"Food is as political an issue as they come. Greens are calling for increased binding targets on organic production, GM-free agriculture, better access to locally produced in-season foods, improvements in animal welfare standards - and an end to the supermarkets' stranglehold over both our farmers and our dinner tables.
"This isn't just a worthy wish-list aimed at making our food fairer and less destructive - it's about making it tastier, more varied and even cheaper, too."
Deputy Mayor and Green Party Member of the London Assembly Jenny Jones added: "The food we eat - and the way it is produced - affects every one of us every single day. I thoroughly enjoyed joining Jean for the day and sampling some of the delights available at Borough market. London's food must be more sustainably produced, with more of it sourced from local farmers with high environmental and welfare standards."
ENDS
Notes to Editors
7 The 'Food Revolution' campaign was launched earlier this year by the Green / EFA Group in the European Parliament, and aims to provoke public debate and policy change on food safety, sustainability and social equity, without sacrificing quality, taste or choice. For more details, see www.eat-better.org/
7 Posters and postcards are available on request
7 Photographs of Jean and Jenny in Borough Market - or Jean in Enfield or Haringey - are available as jpegs on request. Further pictures will be available in due course.
Green
Euro-MPs' 'food revolution' tour 2004
May 14th - Borough Market, Southwark
May
15th - Wood Green High Street, Haringey
May 15th - Palmers Green Triangle,
Enfield
May 22nd - Croydon
May 22nd - Bromley
May 23rd - Spitalfields
Market, Tower Hamlets
May 29th - Stoke Newington Farmers' Market, Hackney
May
29th - Camden
May 29th - Twickenham Farmers' Market- Richmond
May 30th -
Blackheath Farmers' Market, Greenwich
May 31st - Brent
May 31st - Harrow
May
31st- Kingston Green Fair, Kingston
June 2nd - Swiss Cottage Farmers' Market,
Camden
June 5th - Lewisham
June 6th - Farmers' Market, Islington
For more information please contact Ben or Katy on 020 7407 6280, 07973 823358 or press@greenmeps.org.uk