Call for public food strategy input

People are being encouraged to get involved in a public consultation to create a food strategy for Cork for the next five years.

The Cork Food Policy Council (CFPC) has announced its ‘Draft Vision for a Food Strategy for Cork 2025-2030’.

Established in 2013, CFPC is a partnership between representatives of the community, food retail, farming, restaurant and catering, education, environmental, and health sectors and local authorities in Cork.

In the context of a rapidly urbanising world, the global food systems challenges have become “serious challenges for cities”, a public consultation notice states.

The notice adds: “Cities, including Cork, have the potential to have a key role in addressing these challenges for their citizens.

“Attaining a population-based diet consistent with a sustainable diet will require major population-level changes, however a move in this direction is essential given that unsustainable food systems producing unhealthy diets are the global norm and inflict the double burden of being bad for human health and bad for the environment.”

The draft vision for the Cork Food Strategy has five goals: To create an environment which provides nourishing food for all; to build a sustainable and resilient local food system; to promote a community-centred food environment; to develop lifelong learning and skills around food; and to ensure a thriving and diverse food economy.

Green Party councillor Dan Boyle, Lord Mayor of Cork City, said: “I encourage everyone to get involved in this consultation to create a Food Strategy for Cork, because this is our food system and we as citizens are the ones who will ultimately drive the change to a more sustainable food system.”