Ben specialises in the local food sector and supply chain management.  In 2005, he was awarded a distinction by Imperial College London for his Masters’ degree in Business Management for the agriculture and food sectors.  Since then, he has conducted research and consultancy work for both the public sector and private clients.   These have included consumer attitudes to local food, improving the economic and social impact of farmers’ markets, and supermarkets’ local sourcing initiatives.  Prior to this, Ben worked for twelve years in the civil service.  He led a number of policy development teams, including latterly the regulation of GM organisms in Defra, and local sustainability in the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.