Monmouthshire County Council has celebrated the incredible work of food partnerships across the country, including the work of Monmouthshire Food Partnership.

Food Sense Wales has recently published the local food partnership status report, showcasing the amazing and diverse food activities happening all over the country.

Monmouthshire County Council have adopted organisation wide food strategies, setting measurable targets for procuring and providing local, healthy and sustainable food.

One project which has been implemented by the Monmouthshire Food partnership is the Welsh Veg in schools pilot. It’s a project co-ordinated by Food Sense Wales that aims to get more organically produced Welsh vegetables into primary school meals across Wales.

They have worked with partners including Castle Howell, Farming Connect Horticulture and a host of enthusiastic growers. The Welsh Veg in schools projects is helping to get more locally produced organic vegetables in school lunches.

Recognising that Welsh organic vegetables are more expensive than vegetables which are conventionally grown, the pilot has covered the price gap between local, organic produce and standard prices.

In spring 2024, Food Sense Wales received additional funding from the Bridging the gap programme to scale the project and expand its reach across the public sector.

The project began as a small pilot and has now grown into a movement and in 2024, Welsh Veg in schools served 200,000 portions of fresh, organic veg in more than 200 schools across Wales, including 12 primary schools in Monmouthshire.

The status of local food partnership in Wales 2025 report offers a snapshot of the current landscape and highlights best practices from the 22 local food partnerships, including valuable feedback from partnership members.

Leader of a Monmouthshire County Council, Mary Ann Brocklesby, said: “There’s a good food movement happening all across Wales, and we’re proud to be part of it.”