With the goal of increasing Brisbane’s consumption of locally grown produce by 30 per cent by the 2032 Olympics games, Brisbane based charity, Food Connect Foundation, has launched the inaugural South East Queensland (SEQ) Food Summit.
Taking place from 28-30 July, the summit will engage all levels of the community – featuring a public festival, free community activities, and dedicated workshops for food leaders in farming and hospitality. The closing policy forum will take feedback and ideas from the public to drive Queensland’s food and procurement policies.
Bringing together a diverse crowd of consumers, agriculture, hospitality leaders, and policymakers, the summit plans to discuss solutions to strengthen South East Queensland’s food security and local farming industries. It will explore the reasons why ethical, local food is vital to the health of our communities, and how the region and nation can support its production, sourcing and distribution.
Event organiser and Food Connect Foundation director, Emma-Kate Rose, said the goal of 30 per cent more local food holds huge potential benefit for the future of all Queenslanders, with the Olympics providing a pivotal impetus for change.
“Sourcing food within a smaller radius means lower emissions, support for local jobs, better health outcomes, connected communities and stronger regional identity - all of these things are priorities in Queensland Government’s legacy plans for the 2032 Olympics and Paralympics and beyond,” she said.
“Making it easier for Brisbane business and industry to procure locally grown fruit, vegetables and meat can help ensure the Games provide lasting benefit to the region, while also addressing the supply chain disruptions and affordability problems that recent disasters and events have laid bare.”
While driven by an ambitious target, the SEQ Food Summit is focused on achievable action, and will kick off with a festival-style public event on the morning of 28 July, held at Food Connect Shed in Salisbury.
‘People’s Day’ will be hosted by television personality, Costa Georgiadis, and will equip locals and foodies with knowledge and connections to help them eat closer to home. The line-up includes a farmers market, free cooking and gardening workshops, live music, and will gather information on the region’s challenges and ideas when it comes to eating locally.
Also open to the public is an Indigenous Foodways Evening on 29 July. Attendees to this ticketed event will be treated to canapes showcasing native ingredients, while listening to a panel of the Indigenous food experts discuss the native food industry, Aboriginal food sovereignty, and the cultural significance of food, plants and medicines.
Day two of the event will gather local farmers, produce wholesalers and hospitality businesses to workshop ways they can work together to improve supply chain relations and meet customer demands.
“SEQ is lucky to have lots of fantastic growers and chefs collaborating to showcase local produce, but so much of that is still happening at a small scale or in high-end venues,” said Rose.
“This part of the Summit aims to take seasonal, local provenance to be more mainstream and affordable, while supporting both industries - the people who grow the food, buy it in bulk, and influence how the rest of us eat.”
The third day will consist of a policy conference with government and industry body leaders. It will build on discussions from previous days, look at ways other regions and industries are excelling in these areas, and formulate the first steps toward the 30 per cent increase target by 2032.
The SEQ Food Summit is currently taking expressions of interest for primary producers, hospitality operators and policy professionals interested in being part of discussions on days two and three.
For more details on the SEQ Food Summit, visit fcf.org.au.
