London hears you - the city's eco bigwigs answer your questions

A couple of weeks ago, we asked you lot for your questions to put to Simon Mills – the sustainable development coordinator for the City of London Corporation.

Zeenat says:

As the owner of three of London’s most vital wholesale markets, serving the fresh produce needs of London’s businesses, what is City of London doing to get more local, organic and Fairtrade produce sold through these markets? The future of the markets will depend on traders fulfilling increasing customer demand for top quality, sustainable produce. 

Dear Zeenat, thanks for your question. A tricky one this- we do indeed own the markets, but merely as landlords for the private traders, and as such we have no control over what they sell- they are business men and have to make their own commercial decisions. However, we do try to raise awareness of environmental issues with them- for example at Billingsgate, we have been working with traders to promote the Marine Stewardship Council’s sustainable fish agenda.