Carrick’s ‘fantastic example of community-owned greengrocer’ hosts launch of Northern Ireland’s first Food Strategy Framework
A community-owned greengrocers in Carrickfergus has been hailed as an exemplar by DAERA Minister Andrew Muir.
The minister was speaking during a visit to Carrickfergus Greengrocers which hosted the launch of Northern Ireland’s first Food Strategy Framework.
Located in the town centre, the store sells fruit and veg alongside other produce from further afield, with lots of other locally made goods and treats.
Praising the initiative, Mr Muir described it as: “A fantastic example of a community-owned greengrocer, positioned within the centre of Carrickfergus, making a real impact supplying local people with nutritious, local, in season food.
"It is important that we all value our food and where it comes from and I would like to pay tribute to all our food heroes, who grow, produce and make our food and I look forward to the next steps we take together to shape a better tomorrow.”
Entitled ‘Food at the heart of our society - A prospectus for change’, the Executive-approved strategy has as its key aim making the province a world leader in sustainable, heathy and nutritious food.
The minister, who also met with students during a visit to CAFRE Loughry Campus as part of the launch, explained: “The Framework recognises the interconnectedness between food, health, the economy and the environment.
“From obesity, food poverty and waste to climate change and biodiversity loss, the food we produce and eat is a major factor in some of the greatest problems facing Northern Ireland. It is also a vital part of the solutions.”
He added: “My Executive colleagues and I are committed to focusing our collective efforts to maximise the opportunities our food system offers to benefit the health, economy and environment of Northern Ireland and lay the foundations for the generations to come.
“This will take time and today is just the start. The Northern Ireland Food Strategy Framework sets the shared long-term direction of travel and there is a role for everyone in this journey.
I intend to bring forward an action plan in early 2025, which will provide more details on how we as government intend to start the transformation of our food system.”