Real Food Evening
| When? | Tuesday 11th June 7-9pm |
| Where? | Friends Meeting House, Manchester City Centre |
| Why? | To raise awareness about the damaging environmental and social effects of conventional food, highlight alternatives and help people find 'real food' in Manchester. |
| How? | An evening of talks, information and free food, and publication of a free real food guide or Manchester. |
On Tuesday 11 June 2002, Manchester Friends of the Earth launched its Campaign For Real Food to a packed audience at the Friends’ Meeting House in central Manchester, and met with tremendous support from local residents.
The meeting was the first step in a campaign to promote organic and locally produced food as a positive alternative to the mass-produced food found on supermarket shelves, which is often bad for people’s health and is produced in a way that degrades the environment.
The public meeting was chaired by the BBC's Allan Beswick (pictured above), and featured presentations by:
- Lauren Walker and Graeme Sherriff, co-ordinators of Manchester FoE
- the national Friends of the Earth Real Food Campaigner, Pete Riley
- Rob Squires, talking on the Leaf Street community garden
- Jonathon and Ruth, from GM Free Cheshire
As an introduction, the public was treated to a selection of free hot and cold organic food (supplied by local traders Unicorn Groceries and Misty's Vegetarian Cafe), and presented with a free directory of local and organic food in the Manchester area.
The event was a resounding success, and audience feedback was extremely positive. Manchester resident Rhian Myhre commented:
“Before attending this meeting, I knew very little about organic food and hadn’t properly appreciated the scale of the problem. Organic produce is generally considered an expensive alternative to supermarket food, not as accessible and not as tasty, and it’s clear that this is simply not the case. The range of food available this evening – using entirely organic ingredients – has gone a long way to combat my own prejudices.
"This is an important issue and it must be addressed, sooner rather than later. I wholeheartedly support Manchester Friends of the Earth and wish them great success with this campaign.”
 |
Lauren gives away free fruit in the City Centre to promote the real food evening. |
 |
Free food! (and then free the world!) |
 |
Friends of the Earth UK Real Food Campaigner Pete Riley tells a packed out room why it's time for real food. |
Resources
- Press releases: before (pdf) and after (pdf)
- Our Real Food Guide (pdf)
Internet Links and Contact Details
- Limited Resources
- Unicorn Grocery
- Misty's (Vegetarian Cafe) 0161 256 3355