Food producers call on public to shop local

EVERY €10 spent on local food products leads to an injection of €34 into the local economy and helps employ thousands of people around the country, producers said yesterday.

The importance of supporting small, artisan food producers was highlighted by the Tipperary Food Producers Network which yesterday appealed to consumers to shop and buy local.

The food network — which directly employs 220 people in Co Tipperary and has an annual turnover of over €24 million — made its appeal to buy local at the announcement of details of its annual Long Table Dinner, which will showcase their products and highlight the importance of the food industry to the local economy.