Cork 'hungry for change'

A series of public consultation events focused on developing a healthy food policy for Cork city were held around the city last week.

The Cork Food Policy Council (CFPC) hosted members of the public at the Glen Resource & Sport Centre on Monday 9 March, and the Cork Biodiversity Hub, Ballincollig on 12 March.

The events marked the culmination of a 12 month project by the CFPC, where it engaged with food producers, businesses, health professionals, community organisations, and environmental groups.

Nearly 400 people living or working in Cork contributed to the process, including over 300 members of the public, and more than 50 specialist stakeholders.

The final consultation events held last week brought together the feedback gathered to date to demonstrate how community input has influenced the emerging policy. They also helped prioritise key actions for implementation.

Professor Janas Harrington, Chair of the CFPC, said that the process heard from voices across Cork’s entire food system.

“The consultation has revealed a clear and consistent message,” he said. “Cork communities want a food system that is local, accessible, affordable and rotten in practical food skills.

“People are hungry for change,” he said.

He also said that food policy extends outside of the food itself.

“It is also about economic policy, public health policy, and urban planning policy. By investing in local food systems, we can strengthen our economy, improve health outcomes, support local producers and build more resilient communities.

Participants highlighted a number of challenges facing Cork’s food system, including the concentration of fast-food outlets in some neighbourhoods, limited transport links to supermarkets, and barriers facing local food producers.

In particular, producers pointed to the difficulty of securing land for long-term cultivation, with short-term leases making it difficult to invest in crops such as orchards and other sustainable food production.

Organisers said that a call to move beyond basic calorie availability toward true nutritional resilience was at the heart of the consultation, ensuring that all residents have access to affordable, healthy and culturally appropriate food.

Denise Cahill, coordinator of Healthy Cities, part of the Healthy Ireland framework under the Department of Health, said that they wanted to “amplify the voices of residents from communities across Cork city who are disproportionately affected by food insecurity, affordability challenges and limited access to healthy food”.

“In some neighbourhoods, access to fresh and nutritious food has been replaced by a proliferation of fast-food outlets, contributing to the emergence of what is known in the literature as ‘food deserts’ where affordable healthy food is difficult to access,” she said.

Sandrine Bertin, Food Policy Development Officer with Cork City Council, highlighted how the European project FEAST offered the opportunity to open a dialogue with 35 partners in 16 countries facing the same challenges.

“Cork is unique and our process is community led,” she said.

“The contribution from the local farming community and community gardeners paved the way for testing solutions tailored to our very own context.

“We aim to grow more nutrient rich food, take care of our soils and waterways, and create jobs at the heart of the city,” she said.