AN Australian app to help shoppers find local, organic and 'ethical' food is coming to the UK –and Oxford has been chosen for its launch.

The team behind the Fair Food Forager app said the city is the perfect place to get people on board with their innovation.

The app aims to help consumers decide which shops, restaurants and cafes 'deserve' their money by ranking them in 13 'ethical' areas including food waste, plastic waste and 'cruelty-free food'.

Having launched in Australia last September it now boasts about 1,000 listings in eight countries, but has yet to take off in the UK.

This month, the company's UK representative Dayna Ortner signed up the first Oxford business – local food co-operative and 'veg van' Cultivate.

Ms Ortner, an Australian native, has lived in Oxfordshire for several years working as a housekeeper and cook on a private estate, and discovered Oxonians' fondness for all things local, fresh and organic.

When she met Fair Food Forager founder Paul Hellier on a trip back to Oz last year she quickly saw the potential in Oxfordshire.

The 28-year-old said: "I started working for the company and I realised there is so much here in Oxford already.

"We've got some businesses in London but it's harder to get them to sign up.

"Oxford is just more receptive as a city, it's a bit more local and businesses are really on board with these ideas: people are into sustainability and being eco-friendly, so it's a lot easier to tap into that here."

Oxford boasts more than its fair share of 'ethical' food groups: not-for-profit network Good Food Oxford champions local, sustainable and healthy food production and consumption; Oxgrow community allotment at Hogacre Common Eco-park in Grandpont gives residents a chance to grow and pick their own fruit and veg, and the Earth Trust educational charity hosts a variety of small, start-up producers on its land in Little Wittenham.

So far, Fair Food Forager has only signed up Cultivate, but is calling on other businesses to get a slice of the action.

Ms Ortner said: "It's not about being perfect, it's about encouraging businesses to be better.

"The benefit to a business is potentially getting more custom: Oxford is a place with a lot of visitors passing through and this app makes it easier to quickly choose a place that is aligned with your values.

"We say that it makes ethical easy."

Businesses pay a £12 annual admin fee, although the company is currently offering a 'sharethelove' deal cutting the first 12 months to £1.

The app downloadable for free on Android and iTunes stores.

See fairfoodforager.co.uk