Bringing consumers and their food closer together

Spurred on by the plummeting confidence consumers have in the food industry, a farmer in the Abruzzo region of Italy is taking transparency and openness to new heights by allowing consumers to adopt sheep from his flock, and monitor their progress on the internet.

The organic farm, which borders a national park, has a flock of 1,300 sheep and an annual turnover of £125,000. Consumers pay £110 for a renewable 12-month contract from which they get to choose a sheep, name it and monitor its annual output of 5kg of cheese, four pairs of socks and two pairs of leggings, as well as its plant-fertilising droppings. Should the produce not meet expectations, clients have the right to turn the sheep into mutton.

"Clients will once again have direct contact with the origins of what they eat. They will see our standards and know that it is not mass produced," said Manuela Cozza, the owner of the farm.

URL: http://www.sustainability.co.uk/news/radar/ex-online/NOV2000/life-science.asp