A “Food for the Future” event is taking place at 7pm on Monday 24th January at the Nectar restaurant in Hale. The event has been organised by Manchester Friends of the Earth [1] to discuss the environmental, economic and health issues surrounding food production, and promote “real food”, which is locally sourced, organic, fairly traded and GM-free [2].
Guests will be treated to a delicious organic and fair trade buffet provided by Nectar [3], and hear speakers including:
- Dave Coleman, introducing Manchester Friends of the Earth and the Manchester Real Food Guide website;
- Michele Barlow, talking about the rise and rise of Slow Food [4] in the UK and Europe;
- Brigid Benson from the Altrincham Fair Trade Steering Group [5], talking about Altrincham’s bid to become a Fairtrade Town;
- A local food producer, Anne Connolly, cheese maker from Larkton Hall Farm; and
- Carol Faulkner, affineur from The Cheese Shop in Chester.
The event has already sold out, with all proceeds going to help Manchester Friends of the Earth’s environmental campaign work.
Dave Coleman, one of the event organisers from Manchester Friends of the Earth, said:
“This event gives people the opportunity to find out more about real food, speak directly to the producers, and sample the delicious locally sourced, organic and fair trade food that Nectar serves.
More and more people are taking an interest in where their food comes from, with health concerns over chemicals such as pesticides, GM contamination of food, and child obesity, as well as the impact of food production and transportation on the environment.
In fact, the Food for the Future evening has proved so popular that we could have filled the venue twice over, and we hope to repeat the event in other parts of Greater Manchester in the coming months.”
ENDS
Notes to Editors
[1] Manchester Friends of the Earth is a prominent pressure group, raising awareness and lobbying for policy changes at a local, regional, national and international level. The group consists entirely of volunteers, and its campaigns are funded by membership fees and individual donations. Up-to-date information is available on their website: https://www.manchesterfoe.org.uk. Manchester Friends of the Earth is part of a national network of local groups, affiliated to the national organisation (further information can be found at http://www.foe.co.uk).
[2] For more information, visit the Manchester Real Food Guide website at http://www.realfoodguide.org.uk.
[3] Nectar is located at 14 Victoria Road, Hale, Cheshire WA15 9AD, opposite Hale station (tel: 0161 928 3000).
[4] For more information on Slow Food, visit www.slowfood.com
[5] The Altrincham Fair Trade Steering Group promotes Fairtrade food in the Altrincham area and is aiming to achieve Fairtrade Town status for Altrincham in time for Fairtrade fortnight in March. For more information on Fairtrade, visit the Fairtrade Foundation website at www.fairtrade.org.uk.
