Buy local, it's good for all of us. That’s the slogan the Belgian economy ministry is using to encourage us to buy our food from Belgian producers. The aim is to give the agricultural sector a shot in the arm.
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Buy local to support Belgian farmers and read the label down the supermarket!
Colin Clapson
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Belgium’s farmers have experienced several difficult years and deserve our support. The economy ministry argues that that is why we should buy food produced locally.
‘Belgian farming has witnessed several successive crises in recent years,’ says spokesperson Lien Meurisse. ‘Think of the pandemic, inflation after corona, the war in Ukraine.... These have exposed vulnerabilities in the Belgian agricultural sector.’
Following the farmers' protests, the federal government set up the Agri-Food Task Force. This campaign is one of the initiatives of that task force and an attempt to encourage people to buy more locally.
‘Consumers play a key role. By choosing local products, they contribute to sustainable agriculture,’ says Meurisse. ‘Many people want to buy locally, but don't know how best to do so. This campaign should help them.’
How do you read a supermarket label?
You can visit your local farmer around the corner, but at the supermarket too you can buy locally, by looking at the label to see where the products are made. The website koopbewuster.be offers tips on how to read and interpret labels. ‘This is how we are helping customers to think more when they buy food products,’ says Meurisse.
The campaign runs on traditional media, social networks, billboards and in shops. It has the support of many organisations from the agri-food industry. Television chefs Sofie Dumont and Loïc Van Impe are also taking part.
‘I buy as much as possible from local farmers in my region and always read labels thoroughly to know where something comes from. The closer that is, the more value it has for me,’ Dumont says.
‘Thinking about what you consume is important because you can make a big impact with small, simple changes,’ says Van Impe. ‘It requires very little effort, like taking a moment to read the label to see where something comes from. That way you can choose something from close by, which is more sustainable and you immediately learn whether the product is in season. If we all take these small steps together, we can really make a difference.’