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Be the voice of Food & Consumer issues with the WFU - 09/06/10

The first ever branch of the Shropshire Women’s Food & Farming Union is inviting interest from women within the county to represent the voice of Food & Consumer issues at National level.  

The Women’s Food & Farming Union is now in its 30th year and to celebrate this milestone three new branches have started up within as many days. Rosie Boycott, who has been described as Boris Johnson’s Food Guru, has within the last month helped to launch the first ever London branch, which saw Sarah Chase, Head of P.R and Marketing at Rural T.V elected as Chairwoman alongside Lady Apsley who is the Honorary Member for the new branch.

North Wales was next and Tuesday 11th of May saw the launch of Shropshire’s own branch at the National Trust’s first cookery school at Brompton, Atcham just outside of Shrewsbury.

“The WFU has always been the voice of Women in Food and Farming related businesses, but now more than ever it is attracting interest from women from all backgrounds and lifestyles. The reason for this is because we all share the same passion…… for food at it’s tastiest!” said Gail Thorneycroft Holmes, who organised the Shropshire launch.

‘Looking for local’ food is a message that the WFU strongly endorse in their efforts to link the Producer and Consumer through school visits, the promotion and sampling of it’s members produce, secret shopping and ultimately using these findings to compile primary research to help to lobby for change of the rules and regulations which effect us all within food and consumer related issues.

‘This is why we are appealing to all women within Shropshire who share the same passion for food, because we are all consumers and so each has a voice. It is important that we secure a balanced representation of Food & Farming issues from Shropshire to enable our concerns to be heard’ explained Gail, Chairman of Staffordshire’s county branch.

The first meeting of the new Shropshire branch will take place by kind permission of Shropshire WFU Acting Secretary, Ralph Early at Harper Adam’s Agricultural University College, Edgmond, Shropshire. Ralph who is Head of Food and Director of the West Midland’s Regional Food Academy, has invited anyone interested in finding out a little more about the work of the WFU to start the evening with a tour of the newly opened premises of the Food Academy at 7.30pm on Monday 21st June, 2010. Anyone interested in coming along for a very interesting evening should e-mail: yourwfu@googlemail.com  Or text/telephone 07968 803755 to find out more.