LOCAL Riverford businesses, including Upper Norton Farm in Sutton Scotney, are celebrating after the company’s veg boxes were named the Ethical Product of the Decade by The Observer.

The award, which was decided by public vote, is designed to honour the retailer, designer, brand or shop that makes it easier for people to live more ethically.

Riverford began in 1987 in Devon when its founder Guy Watson started delivering organic vegetables to 30 local homes after bad experiences with unscrupulous supermarket and wholesale buyers.

There are now four Riverford sister farms in the UK including Hampshire’s Upper Norton Farm covering central Southern England.

Guy collected the award from editor of The Observer John Mulholland and journalist and BBC presenter Lucy Siegle at a ceremony at the V&A museum in London.

He said: “It’s fantastic to have Riverford’s work recognised with such a prestigious award. We are all beyond thrilled to have been given this title; we were up against some truly deserving competition such as the Fairtrade banana and Divine chocolate, whom we support and respect and who would have been very worthy winners.

“For almost 30 years, I have aimed to use the business to make the world a slightly better place, one veg box at a time. Put simply we want to give people good, fresh, flavoursome, ethically-produced food that they can trust, produced and delivered in a way that gives a fair deal to farmers, animals, customers, staff and the environment.

“As far as we are concerned, the best things in life are shared, and food, good food, is the greatest example of this, and we want it to be available to everyone.”