Taste of the West's failure is a bitter blow to food sector

If anyone had been taking bets on the next business to find itself in choppy waters, most punters would have expected to be offered pretty long odds on Taste of the West.

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For 34 years the country's largest independent food group, whose offices were in Exeter, has been shining a spotlight on the produce of the region, with the King as a patron and some of the region's best-known brands, suppliers and hospitality venues among its members, many