THE sourcing of food is fast becoming quite an issue nationally and internationally.

Supermarkets fly in fruit and vegetables from all around the world so that you can eat what you want at any time of the year, regardless of the season.

To cope with the eating habits which they have created, these conglomerates have persuaded farmers in Africa to grow crops like mange tout.

Such veg is not part of the local diet in these countries because it is an alien crop and anyway local people would not be able to afford it.

Similarly food produced in Britain is too often not sold locally because of the huge centralised purchasing operations of retail chains.

So it's good news that our councils are to lead the way in getting us back into the habit of eating locally-produced food by increasing the amount of it sourced for school meals.

It is important because they will be giving a helping hand to hard-pressed farmers in areas like the Ribble Valley which suffered so badly as a result of the devastating BSE outbreak of a few years ago.

And equally important it means our children will be eating food which is certain to be fresher because it has not been driven in trucks from one end of the country to the other and stored in enormous warehouses.