Food for All Conference in Southampton - published in Echo on 14th January 2003

More than 80 delegates from across the city and beyond will be attending the Food for All conference today at the Civic Centre to discuss and debate food. The conference, bringing together national and local speakers, will act as catalyst for the establishment of a Southampton Food Network.

Food impacts upon so many different areas of our daily lives and three key themes will be covered by the conference relating food to health, the environment and community.

Food and health will take account of the fact that our diets do influence our quality of life. The average Briton eats 2.8 portions of fruit and vegetables a day, falling short of the recommended 5 portions a day and only around 10% of food spending is spent on fruit and vegetables. The work of the City Council and Primary Care Trust amongst others is playing a crucial role in showing local people the benefits of eating healthy food.

Food and the environment will focus on the issue of food miles (how far our food travels) and the benefits of local food. More people are buying local food. We are surrounded by Hampshire farms and the conference will hopefully begin a process of bringing more local food into the city, cutting down the distance food travels and working with Hampshire Fare, which promotes local produce from the county.

Food and the community addresses the issues of access to food and the important social function that food has. Many people lack the access to the food necessary for a healthy and varied diet while others will lack the skills or confidence to prepare food. The Co-operative Bunch, a food co-op based in Queensway and Northam, is tackling these issues head on by making fruit and vegetables both affordable and accessible for local people. Also, food has a social role in our family and community life bringing together people to prepare and enjoy food.

Today's conference will hopefully show that food is about more than just fuel to keep us going and that those involved with food issues will use the discussions and debates to set a course for the future of food in Southampton. Perhaps most importantly, any Southampton Food Network will only work if a partnership is developed that represents the interests of local people but also gives a voice to all of those involved in the food chain from the farm to the fork.

What do you think about this - email me and let me know