From milk to sausage rolls: how vending machines could help tackle UK ‘food deserts’
A family of farmers in the UK is using vending machines to sell fresh milk and local produce directly to consumers in rural areas. This model helps farmers increase their profit margins while providing access to fresh food in 'food deserts'.
Why it matters
This innovative retail model offers a potential solution for both the economic sustainability of small farms and the issue of food accessibility in rural regions.
0 Emma Poulter and her daughter Bonnie, three, stock up on milk. ‘The machine is fun for little ones,’ says Poulter. Fizzy drinks, packets of crisps and bars of chocolate: for decades, vending machines were known as a place to grab a quick snack.
Now one family of farmers is trying to change that by bringing vending machines offering fresh milk and local produce – including scotch eggs, sausage rolls and brownies – to villages and other rural locations.
Mark James, 70, and his sons Sam, 39, and Jacob, 36, first trialled vending machines as a way of selling their milk directly to consumers, giving themselves more control over the price they receive.
“For the first time ever, we’re price makers rather than price takers,” Mark says. “If we weren’t doing [the vending machine business], we’d have to think about giving up milk.”
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