A SUPERMARKET selling healthy food, a new café and a growing space could be set up in Bridport if plans get the go-ahead.

The Bridport Food Matters (BFM) charity discussed proposals for a potential community food hub in the west Dorset market town.

It held a meeting with stakeholders on Thursday, March 2 to look into the possibility of developing the plans, with the overall aim of addressing food poverty, the cost-of-living crisis and climate emergency.

BFM hopes to bring together a number of existing community food initiatives, along with some new ventures, in one, central high-street space.

The food charity was founded two years ago by Seeding Our Future, Transition Town Bridport and the Bridport Local Food Group.

The vision for the hub includes capacity for:

  • A people’s supermarket - which will be a physically and financially accessible shop for healthy food, including low-waste refills, It will also be a transition of the Waste Not Want Not shop in South Street. 
  • A community café — which will also be used for family activities and social cohesion, cooking classes, workshops, training, and other community events
  • A growing space — an outside area for an edible garden to grow food for the café and supermarket, and to use for outside cooking demonstrations
  • An information hub— this is set to be filled with a range of food and climate-related information and access to resources and support. 

BFM trustee, Candida Dunford Wood, said: "We hope it will be a welcoming, inclusive, creative, and social space, where food is at the heart of the community.

"There are many people and groups doing wonderful things around food, and if we work together we can be greater than the sum of our parts."

More than 45 representatives from Bridport's food scene met last week to discuss plans over a bowl of hearty vegetable soup. 

There was much discussion about the way local growers could supply the hub and included exploring whether small parcels of land could be made available to enable growing on a market garden scale. 

A range of ideas for pop-up events were also floated as the team hunts for a suitable premises for the food hub. 

The short-term plan is to provide the people’s supermarket and information in Waste Not Want Not’s current town centre location. 

Bridport Town Council's Cllr Sarah Carney added: "During the pandemic, we showed what can be done when we work together. 

"There are too many families struggling to access healthy food on less-than-subsistence incomes in our town. 

"Local housing is not affordable for keyworkers, such as our medical and care staff, teachers and agricultural workers, and we need to come together to look after each other, our children, and our planet."

The hub space is said to be open to all and will be run democratically by members themselves.

BFM said it will 'chew over' the feedback from the event and get busy planning further pop-up food events around Bridport. 

Visit bridportfoodmatters.net for more information.