safefoodinsights...safefoodinsights issue 3 july 2010 campaigns news training partnerships funding...

safefoodinsights

www.safefood.eu

ISSUE 3 July 2010 CAMPAIGNS NEWS TRAINING PARTNERSHIPS FUNDING RESEARCH EVENTS

THE GROWTH OF COMMUNITY FOOD

CONTENTSWeigh2Live –New campaign phase Page 2

Taking on the Takeaway Page 2

Community Food Initiatives Page 3

Interview with Claire Holmes Page 4

Learning ‘first hand’ about food safety at home Page 5

Antimicrobial resistance Page 5

Living with a food allergy Page 6

Happy Heart Eat Out campaign Page 7

Ash cloud – The food impact Page 7

Social Media Interview Page 8

Kids and cooking Page 8

LIVING WITH A FOODALLERGYLouise and Edel Connolly talk about raising awareness about the reality of food allergies.

Find out more on page 6

Find out more on page 2

The Demonstration Programme of Community Food InitiativesPage 3

NEW TV SERIESLAUNCHED ON RTE

CONTRIBUTORSSinead Duane

Dr. Linda Gordon

Marita Hennessy

Dr. James McIntosh

Dermot Moriarty

Colette O’Shea

MEET JOHN!NEW PHASE INWEIGH2LIVE CAMPAIGN

ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE CONFERENCEConference highlights role of food and food processing in antimicrobial resistance

E4489_SF Insights issue 3_AW:Layout 1 7/30/10 12:30 PM

The latest phase of safefood’sweight loss campaign “Weigh2Live”has been launched on televisionwith added support online atFacebook.com/safefood.eu

Two new advertisements entitled ‘John’and ‘Elaine’ feature two individualsdiscussing in a humorous way thechallenges they face in losing weight andtheir own struggles in maintaining a

healthy weight. The campaign is also beingsupported online at Facebook.com whereusers can access the free Weigh2Liveweight loss tools including the BMIcalculator via their own personal Facebookprofile.

The campaign will be extended during theyear throughout GP surgeries with postersand information leaflets, and furthersupported by interactive Apps for iPhoneand Facebook.

Weigh2live.eu is a free weight loss websitedeveloped by nutritionists at safefood withsupport from dietitians in the IrishNutrition and Dietetics Institute (INDI). Thewebsite has 22,000 registrations since lastyear and over 2,500 friends on Facebook.

Some of the island’s most famouschefs are pitting their culinary skillsagainst the best-loved takeaways ina new television series sponsored bysafefood.

Each week in “Take on the Takeaway”, awell known chef visits the home of amember of the public who is a self-confessed fan of their local takeaway. Thechef is challenged to reproduce the mostpopular take-out meal in the person’s ownkitchen, in a head-to-head race against theclock with the local takeaway and mustcook and serve their dish in the time ittakes the takeaway to cook and delivertheirs. Both dishes are then blind-tasted bythe takeaway fan and each dish is awardedmarks out of 10 for taste. The chef mustalso shop for the ingredients for the dish,

ensuring the cost remains less than that ofthe takeaway equivalent.

Some of the chefs taking part includeKevin Dundon, Neven Maguire, PaulRankin, Clodagh McKenna & Derry Clarke,cooking in homes across the island ofIreland. Helping the chefs out is Dr. EvaOrsmond (Operation Transformation) whoalso offers advice on how to cook healthymeals at home.

The show’s website includes recipes andhealthy eating advice as well as video clipsfeaturing Dr. Cliodhna Foley-Nolan fromsafefood, offering tips on topics includingunderstanding portion sizes, foodshopping, family eating and how parentscan act as role models for healthier eating.

Neven Maguire pictured with nutritionistDr. Eva Orsmond.

WEIGH2LIVE – NEW ADVERTISING PHASE INCLUDING FACEBOOKNew TV adverts with John and Elaine

CAMPAIGNS

For more information, visitwww.safefood.eu/weigh2live or find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/safefood.eu

“Take on the Takeaway” is on RTÉ1 at8.30pm, every Wednesday until 18th August 2010.

You can also view episodes online atwww.rte.ie/tv/takeonthetakeaway

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safefood experts will also be on Facebook(www.facebook.com/safefood.eu) duringeach episode of the show to answerviewers’ questions and offer advice onhealthy eating and food safety.

TAKING ON THE TAKEAWAYCelebrity chefs put to the test

NEWS


FUNDING

COMMUNITY FOOD INITIATIVESPractical food initiatives in the local community

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Food poverty is a complex issuerequiring a variety of approaches inaddressing it. One of theseapproaches is supporting practicalfood initiatives in the localcommunity.

safefood’s funding of Community FoodInitiatives (CFI) launched earlier this year isan example of how local food projects canbring wider benefits to deprivedcommunities on the island of Ireland.

The Demonstration Programme ofCommunity Food Initiatives involves sevencommunity food projects funded bysafefood over the next three years. Thefirst of its kind on the island of Ireland, theprogramme is managed by Healthy Foodfor All (HFfA), an all-island multi-agencyinitiative seeking to promote healthy foodfor low-income groups.

Georgina Buffini is Development Workerfor the Programme with HFfA “The aim ofthe Demonstration Programme is toaddress inequalities and overcome some of the problems faced by communities inaccessing healthy, affordable food. Assuch, it is vitally important that wesupport these community food initiativesand help them succeed locally.”

“By providing them with oursupport and expertise andlinking them with other projectsthrough dedicated networkingevents, we hope to share insightsand learnings and help createsuccessful and sustainablemodels to ensure healthy andaffordable food is ultimatelyaccessible and available toeveryone.”One of the seven projects receivingfunding is East Belfast Mission. “We workin an area of social and economicdeprivation with high levels ofunemployment, ill-health and Paramilitaryinfluences and the area is rated as the 5thmost deprived ward of the 566 wards inNorthern Ireland”, said Anne Walsh,Director Business Development, EastBelfast Mission. “With this funding, we willbe able to roll out our healthy eatingeducation programme over the next threeyears and help us provide a programmewhich will have a huge positive impact onthe health of those who are most sociallyexcluded. Our programme will focus on

providing a healthy evening meal to thehomeless and elderly within ourcommunity and also improve overallhealth and wellbeing through dietary andnutritional advice”, she continued.

“By adopting this funding approach,identifying these Community FoodInitiatives and the supports they require,we hope this Programme can help informfuture policy development in the area offood poverty”, added Martin Higgins, ChiefExecutive, safefood.

Each Community Food Initiative willreceive funding annually over a period ofthree years to set up, manage and sustaintheir project, with safefood investing up to€75,000/£63,000 per project. TheProgramme was officially launched byNorthern Ireland’s Chief Medical Officer,Dr. Michael McBride earlier this year.

The seven recipients of the CommunityFood Initiative (CFI) funding are:

• East Belfast Healthy Eating EducationProgramme (Belfast)

• Food Focus Community Food Initiative(Cork)

• Food for Life (Derry)• Footprints Women’s Centre Building a

Transition Community (Belfast) • KASI Com munity Garden (Killarney) • Limerick Seed to Plate Project (Limerick) • The Food Garden Project (Dundalk)

Pictured at the launch of the Demonstration Programme of Community Food Initiatives,funded by safefood, are Martin Higgins, safefood Chief Executive; Marjo Moonen, Chair ofHealthy Food for All; Dr Michael McBride, Northern Ireland’s Chief Medical Officer andJoyce Mason, Project Co-ordinator, East Belfast Healthy Eating Education Programme.

For more information on theparticipants in the DemonstrationProgramme, contact Georgina Buffiniat [email protected] orvisit www.healthyfoodforall.com


Claire Holmes

Claire Holmes is a native of Lurgan, Co.Armagh with over 18 years experiencein the community and public healthdietetics field. A graduate of RobertGordon University Aberdeen, Claire’sfirst post was at the Ulster Hospital,Dundonald. After an 8 year periodbeing a full time mum, she returned tothe dietetic profession working locumsand taking clinics for a local GP. In 1992Claire became the first CommunityDietitian based in Co Fermanagh, before taking up the post of Dietitian leading the Big Lottery funded WHSBB Cook it! programme from 2004 to 2007.

Speaking in a personal capacity, DietitianClaire Holmes talks about her work incommunity dietetics with the WesternHealth and Social Care Trust, NorthernIreland and the Food Values project.

Tell me a little about your present work?I’ve been leading the Community Food andNutrition Team (CFNT) which is part of theHealth Improvement Department of theWestern Health and Social Care Trust forthe past 3 years. We are a small team, setup to promote good nutrition using acommunity development approach,provide training and support forcommunity-based food projects and totackle food poverty.

What do you think are the biggestchallenges today in healthy eating forthose on low budgets?Well of course, the biggest challenge ismoney – or rather, lack of it. The higher theprice of food and the lower the income, themore difficult it becomes to buy anadequate diet. This is compounded wherethere is a lack of cooking and budgetingskills, poor personal knowledge about foodand restricted access to food shopsbecause of geography or transport costs. Inaddition, our food culture has changed in avery short time to one where food is lessabout meals and more about speed.

There’s been a lot of media coveragerecently on the issue of food prices andbudgeting – is this something new?No. In 2006, the Cook it! team were askedto do some work on food budgeting withFirst Housing at Shepherds View,Londonderry. We devised and tried out athree-session programme includingbudgeting activities and cooking with agroup of about eight young women and itwas very successful. There was greatinterest among charity/voluntary sectororganisations in food budgeting activities,although some organisations were notkeen on the cooking aspect of it becausethey didn’t have access to kitchenfacilities. So we rewrote the programme intwo versions, one with cooking and onewithout. During 2009, with funding fromsafefood, we then piloted this updatedprogramme (which we named FOODVALUES) among 13 pilot organisations fromthe community/voluntary sector in theWestern Trust area.

The aim of FOOD VALUES is toenable participants to get betternutritional value for money byfocusing on how to budget forfood. On the face of it, theprogramme appears to be aboutsaving money on food but inreality, it’s about eating betterand having a more balanced diet. Participants are taken through simplesteps that make budgeting for food easier,for example, looking at their supermarkettill receipts to see what they were buying;keeping a store cupboard; writing ashopping list; how to use special offerswisely; comparing the cost of home mademeals with ready meals; using leftoversetc. These are very basic budgeting skills -the kind I saw my mother use when I was achild but unfortunately, as our society hasbecome increasingly affluent and our foodculture has moved more towardsconvenience foods and eating out, theseskills have become lost. FOOD VALUESprovides an opportunity for them to berediscovered.

During the pilot we did not promiseparticipants that they would save moneyon their food bills but we discoveredthrough the evaluation, that many ofthose taking part did spend less,

(sometimes by quite a considerableamount) and were choosing healthierfoods.

Can a project like FOOD VALUES make adifference?A project like this can help people spendless and eat better by making healthierfood choices. If people plan their meals,they buy less food and make better use ofwhat they do buy, so food waste can bereduced. It also enables people to takecontrol of what they eat and be lessinfluenced by advertising messages. Inshort, it can help a small budget gofurther.

Moreover, FOOD VALUES is a creativeapproach to promoting healthy eating. Alot is said, written and preached abouteating healthily but putting that adviceinto action can be difficult. I’m firmlyconvinced that the phrase “healthy eating”can be a complete turn off for many peopleand it’s necessary therefore to find outwhat does interest consumers when itcomes to food and use this to gain theirattention. In our current climate, foodbudgeting definitely excites interest sowhy not use it to get healthy eatingmessages across in a practical way?

You mentioned the pilot programme –where does the project go next?The pilot was a tremendous reassurance forus and it showed that FOOD VALUES reallyworks. It also highlighted areas forimprovement which I have discussed withthe tutors involved in the pilot. During thesummer, part of the content and the“look” of the programme will beredesigned with the assistance of MichaelRobertson, Graphics Designer at theWestern Trust Health Improvement Dept,before being printed this autumn. We willthen be in a position to offer FOOD VALUESTutor training locally. In the future, I wouldreally like to see the programme have awider audience than the population in ourTrust area and am hoping to make itavailable on a wider scale; I think this is aprogramme for everyone.

PARTNERSHIPS

INTERVIEW WITH CLAIRE HOLMESHow do we get better nutritional value for money?

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safefood recently hosted a conferenceon ‘Antimicrobial resistance and foodsafety’ which brought togetherleading authorities from the island ofIreland and the UK to share theirfindings on the growing problems ofantimicrobial resistance in the foodchain and the threat to human health.

A subject of major interest from a research,human health and industrial perspective,the study of antimicrobial resistance (AMR)in the food chain has to date largelyfocused on the beginning of the food chain(veterinary) and the end (human health).The aim of the conference was to ensurethe roles that food-producing animals,food processing and the use of sanitizingagents play in causing and spreadingantimicrobial resistance, is also consideredin the wider analysis.

The conference was attended by all sectorsof the food industry on the island ofIreland, including producers, processors,

food scientists and technologists. Publichealth specialists, vets and veterinaryinspectors, general practitioners,researchers, policy makers and regulatorswere also in attendance. Topics discussedincluded the current situation with AMRassociated with food on the island ofIreland and Europe. A workshop looked atthe means of linking surveillance and foodsafety, veterinary prescribing andantimicrobial resistance in food animalpractice and the food industry processesand the link to AMR.

Visitors to the recent Balmoral Showgot the opportunity to learn firsthand about good food safety andwitness how easily cross-contamination can occur in thekitchen on safefood’s “Don’t TakeRisks” information and display stand.

The interactive stand featured ademonstration kitchen where commonfood hygiene mistakes were highlighted –recent research by safefood revealed thatraw meat bacteria was detected on 60% ofsinks and drainers, 36.7% of taps and43.3% of kitchen worktops whileconsumers were preparing a meal.

David McCleery, microbiologist withsafefood was one of those working on thestand over the three days. He said being atthe Balmoral show with the stand was anopportunity to remind consumers of somesimple but very important messages forthe home. “Many consumers wash rawmeat and poultry under the tap, but this isinadvisable as it can spread germs fromthe raw food nearly 3 feet from the sinkthrough the splashes this creates. Thishighlights how easy it is for cross-contamination to take place in the kitchenenvironment”.

Research conducted ahead of the showrevealed 94% of consumers in NorthernIreland recognised the importance ofavoiding the spread of bacteria from rawfood to kitchen surfaces and utensils.

Over 70,000 people visited the 2010Balmoral show over three days. Among the

Pictured at the safefood stand at the Balmoral Show were (L to R) Michael McGimpsey,MLA, Minister for Health, Social Services & Public Safety with Andrew Castles and Dr. DavidMcCleery of safefood.

CONFERENCE ON ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE Conference highlights role of food and food processing in antimicrobial resistance

visitors to the safefood stand during theshow were the Minister for Health, SocialServices & Public Safety, MichaelMcGimpsey, MLA and the Minister forAgriculture and Rural Development,Michelle Gildernew, MLA.

What is antimicrobial resistance?

Antibiotics are important drugs used inthe treatment of bacterial infections inboth humans and animals. Emergingantibiotic, or antimicrobial, resistanceamong certain bacteria is nowfrequently observed, thereby posing aserious threat to public health. Oncethese micro-organisms becomeresistant to one or more antibiotics,they do not respond to therapy.

EVENTS

LEARNING ‘FIRST HAND’ ABOUT FOOD SAFETY AT HOMESuccessful interactive stand at Balmoral show

To download selected presentations goto the “Events” page of the safefoodwebsite www.safefood.eu

To download safefood’s report, “TheProblem of Antimicrobial Resistance inthe Food Chain” go to the “Publications”section of the website.

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The Problem of Antimicrobial Resistance in the Food Chain


LIVING WITH A FOOD ALLERGY – LOUISE & EDEL’S STORYWinners of the 2009 Allergy NI Young Person of the Year Award speak about their research

NEWS

Food allergies are an emerginghazard and it’s estimated that up to3% of the population may be livingwith a food allergy.

But what’s life really like for someone witha food allergy? Sisters Louise & EdelConnolly spoke to safefood insights aboutthe realities of a food allergy and winning2009 Allergy NI Young Person of the Year.

Louise, what inspired you to get involvedin food allergies?Louise Connolly: Getting involved inraising allergy awareness happensnaturally in our family. Because my sisterEdel is allergic to nuts and several fruits,having someone close to you with lifethreatening allergies makes you constantlyon your guard and you seem to be all thetime trying to get the message acrosswherever you go.

Edel Connolly: I attended a children’sworkshop in Belfast last year with AllergyNI, where I found out about the YoungPerson of the Year Awards. The childrenwere encouraged to get involved and whenI came home from the workshop, I wasexcited about getting involved and Louisedecided to join me.

L.C. In the beginning, we started givingtalks in our schools and at Brownies. Edelmade a poster using images giving detailsof the symptoms of an allergic reaction,the foods she has to avoid and the actionto be taken if she has an allergic reaction.She also showed different situations likeeating out, school and shopping and whatprecautions she needs to take in everydaylife to keep safe.

Each time either of us gave atalk, it became obvious thatpeople knew very little aboutallergies and especiallyanaphylaxis. We were asked many questions and soonrealised there was a real need to have user-friendly information available to helppeople understand food allergies. Thisexperience is what encouraged us todevelop our own information leaflets.

How did you develop the information foryour leaflets?E.C. We looked at plenty of websites fromaround the world and gathered as muchinformation from other leaflets and booksto see what information was out there formembers of the public. We soon foundthat much of the information was the

same but complicated using medicalterms. So we decided to remove all medicalterminology and keep the informationsimple and to the point.

L.C. It was also important for us to keepthe information age-appropriate for eachtarget reader. When we were finishedputting our leaflets together, we sent themto be checked by a consultantimmunologist to confirm our informationwas correct before publishing.

I also carried out a survey of 24 people whoknew Edel to find out what people felt theyneeded to know about anaphylaxis. Theresults of this survey helped me compilethe information for our “UnderstandingAnaphylaxis” leaflet. Edel wanted to have acartoon-style booklet for her friends toexplain about her allergies. So with thehelp of our Mum, Edel designed a bookletsuitable for her own age group. I alsodesigned a PowerPoint slideshow usingimages to support the “UnderstandingAnaphylaxis” Leaflet. Over the past fewmonths, we have looked at several otherareas that needed to have allergyinformation available to them for exampleschools and restaurants. Using the sameapproach as our first information leaflets,we’ve now designed further leaflets to helpraise awareness in these areas.

How did you raise awareness of yourleaflets?E.C. We decided the best way to share ourinformation was through a website so wedeveloped a simple websitewww.beallergyaware.com where peoplecan download our allergy informationsheets. We also posted our website detailson as many social networking sites aspossible. We can track the activity on ourwebsite and it is very exciting seeingpeople from all around the world haveviewed our website.

What in your opinion, is the biggestchallenge to someone living on the islandof Ireland with an allergy?L.C. We feel eating out is one of thebiggest challenges for food allergysufferers. There seems to be little or notraining for restaurant staff in how seriousfood allergies can be. They do not seem torealise that cross contamination is also abig risk in a kitchen.

E.C. Having had very positive experienceseating out in the United States andLanzarote where my allergies were taken soseriously, there is no excuse why the samecannot apply here. In countries likeAustralia and Canada there appears to be abetter understanding of allergies /anaphylaxis. Allergy awareness is so poorand we would like to see people on theisland becoming more allergy aware.

Any future plans?L.C. We’ve recently hosted a stand at thefirst Allergy Fair at the RDS, Dublin forthree days. We had parents of allergysufferers, doctors, teachers visit our standand the response we received hasmotivated us further to continue to createawareness of allergies.

Pictured receiving their Allergy NI Young Person of the Year Awards from Pete Snodden, DJwith Cool FM were Edel and Louise Connolly.

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Food Allergy & Intolerance Guidance for the Catering IndustrySeek further clarification from the customer.

Don’t guess about the ingredients.

Refer the query to the manager or a nominated member of staff.

Does the food contain the ingredient(s) the customer has asked about?

Check the labels, packaging and recipes.

Consider the possibility of cross-contamination.

Always be truthful – you can recommend a safe alternative.

Inform the customer so they can decide what to order.

Procedure for dealing with a query from a customer who wishes to know if a meal or other food is suitable for them.

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Food Allergy & Intolerance

To download safefood’s Food Allergy &Intolerance Guidance for the Catering Industrybooklet and poster, visit www.safefood.eu


CAMPAIGNS

HAPPY HEART EAT OUT CAMPAIGNCampaign reminds consumers it’s not just what you eat, but how much you eat

safefood joined forces with the IrishHeart Foundation and the HealthService Executive (HSE) for this year’s“Happy Heart Eat Out” campaign toencourage consumers to “ThinkSmall” when it comes to portion sizeswhen eating out and encourageestablishments to offer healthyoptions on their menus.

Janis Morrissey, dietitian with the IrishHeart Foundation who helped organise thecampaign said, “Happy Heart Eat Out setout to remind consumers and cateringestablishments that it’s not just thevariety and quality of the food we eat thatis important for a healthy weight and heart- how much we eat also matters. With onethird of premature heart disease related topoor diet, catering establishments whoparticipated in the campaign can helpmake a difference by playing their part.”

The campaign ran in restaurants,workplaces and communities during themonth of June with 635 cateringestablishments participating in thecampaign.

“The number of establishments whosigned up reflects a recognition that

Pictured launching the 2010 Happy HeartEat Out campaign was Ruth Griffin withchefs (L to R) Mark Bodie, Sebastian Scheerand Tao Trakoolwattana.

portion size is important and acommitment from the catering sector tooffer healthy options”, said Dr. CliodhnaFoley-Nolan, safefood.

“With research revealing that onein four people eat light mealsoutside the home, and 12% dineout for their main meal of theday, choosing healthier optionsand sensible portion sizes isextremely important, for bothour waistlines and our overallhealth.”A range of free materials, includingposters, tent cards and heart stickers wereavailable during the campaign to highlighthealthy options on menus of participatingestablishments.

The campaign was endorsed by theRestaurants Association of Ireland, Panel ofChefs Ireland and Euro-Toques Ireland.

Volcanic eruptions in Iceland had asignificant impact on global airtravel, though the potential impactof volcanic ash on the foodenvironment was less understood.Dr. James McIntosh, toxicologistwith safefood explains.

What was the impact if any, of the volcanicash cloud on the food we eat?In terms of the local environment inIceland, the volcanic ash was generallydestructive as agricultural land wasblanketed with an ash deposit thatprevented plant growth and effectivelyeliminated this year’s hay harvest. Nodoubt the consequences for the supply ofwinter feed for livestock in Iceland thisyear will be severe.

Here on the island of Ireland, we’reapproximately 800 miles from the volcanoat its closest point and didn’t experiencesignificant ash fall, despite anecdotalevidence from a number of locations andunfavourable weather conditions duringmost of the eruption. Although the impactof the eruption on our climate is as yetunclear, it is unlikely to affect foodproduction on the island of Ireland.

One potentially serious feature of theeruptions in Southern Iceland is thefluorine content of the ash which isdangerous for human and animal health,especially for livestock within theimmediate eruption area.

What is the approach to food with eventslike this?The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA)issued a statement on the possible risksfor human and animal health resultingfrom food contamination by volcanic ashwhich acknowledged that human andanimal illness due to exposure to highlevels of fluoride via volcanic ashcontamination of food and feed is a veryrare event. Contaminated drinking water isthe most likely route of exposure forhumans. However, based on the availableinformation, they concluded the risk offluoride contamination via ash fall in theEU was negligible and consequently therisk for human and animal health was notof concern.

And what of the future?Previous eruptions from Iceland in the 18thCentury did have a dramatic effect on theenvironment in North Western Europe andelsewhere through increased global

temperatures which affected foodproduction and had a knock-on impact onwider public health. However that volcanicevent was 10,000 times more powerfulthan what we experienced this year.

Thankfully, climate-changing eruptions arerare and only happen about once every500,000 years. What recent events havedemonstrated is how susceptible ourlifestyles are to the slightest interruptionfrom nature and we can also see howquickly we learn and adapt to new andunprecedented circumstances.

To find out more about the EuropeanFood Safety Authority including volcanicash and the food chain, visitwww.efsa.europa.eu/

NEWS

ASH CLOUD – THE FOOD IMPACTWhat have been the consequences to the food environment?

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YOU ARE WHAT YOU TW-EAT; THE RISE OF ONLINE CONVERSATIONHow useful can social media be?

NEWS

Whether it’s “tweeting” on Twitter,“liking” on Facebook or just watchingYouTube, social media is changingwhere and how people communicatewith friends and organisations.

Ahead of a safefood conference later thisyear on the opportunities and impact ofsocial media for public healthprofessionals, Dr. Aileen McGloin ofsafefood gave her perspective in Twitter-style of less than 140 characters!

Why should I be interested in social media?About 2 million people from the islandvisited Facebook last year. If you want toengage people, social media is where youneed to be.

How could the public sector benefit fromusing social media?Social media is fast, transparent, friendlyand informal and allows you to engage inopen and regular communications withthe public.

In your view, what’s the biggestopportunity in this area?We do a lot of research to understandconsumers and inform our campaigns.Online conversations with consumers mayalso offer great insights.

And anything to be worried about?Yes. As a scientist I like time to considerthings before I answer. Social media is areal challenge from this perspective.

How active are safefood in social media?Pretty active. We're on Twitter@safefoodnetwork, facebookwww.facebook.com/safefood.eu and haveour Knowledge Networks on NING

Where can I find out more about yourconference?On the safefood home pagewww.safefood.eu, DM me@safefoodnetwork or try old fashionedemail [email protected].

The safefood social media conferencewill take place on Thursday 16thSeptember 2010 in Dublin.

To register your interest and find outmore please email [email protected]

SOMETHING’S COOKING IN THE KITCHENEnthusiasm at the Wexford Food Fair

EVENTS

Passion and enthusiasm werecertainly on the menu in abundanceas over 100 local Wexford 8-10 yearolds attended safefood’s “Taste Buds”workshop at this year’s Wexford Food Fair.

The workshop was served up by well-known food blogger and food stylist,Sharon Hearne-Smith and was based on“Taste Buds”, safefood’s interactiveeducation resource which teaches childrenabout food and healthy eating. During theworkshop, children challenged their owntaste buds with different foods fromaround the world, as well as taking part ina lively, hands-on recipe challenge!

Speaking at the event, Sharon said, “I wasbowled over at how enthusiastic the localschool children were about food, cookingand healthy eating and pleasantlysurprised with their level of knowledge andawareness already. Of course, there is the

constant need to educate our childrenabout healthy eating, about who actuallyproduces their food and how it gets tothem, to help them make informed foodchoices. The ‘Taste Buds’ programme is anamazingly well-thought through resourceto help achieve all of this and more.

Since the workshops, I hear some of thechildren have even gone home and madeendless ‘rainbow fruit skewers’ and‘seasonal vegetable stir-frys’ (which are thetwo dishes we prepared on the day). Itmakes my heart happy to know that theywere obviously inspired by the workshopsand found the healthy recipes excitingenough to make and enjoy for themselves.”

Pictured at safefood’s “Taste Buds” workshop at this year’s Wexford Food Fairwas Sharon Hearne-Smith with pupils from St Iberius National School and Gaelscoil Charman.

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If you think your local primary school would enjoy learning about food and healthyeating, they can get their own free copy of “Taste Buds” by [email protected], calling the safefood helpline on 1850 404 567 (ROI) / 0800 0851683(NI) or visiting www.safefood.eu

Dr. Aileen McGloin is Scientific SupportManager with safefood and has held anumber of roles in academia and in thefood and communications industries. Most recently, Aileen was a research fellow in University College Dublin’s School of Public Health andPopulation Science,where she specialisedin food riskperception,communication and food behaviour.

If you or a colleague would like to be added to the mailing list for safefood insights, please send your name and address to us at:safefood, 7 Eastgate Avenue, Little Island, Co. Cork or by email to [email protected] you would like to be removed from the mailing list please contact the above address.

Dr Aileen McGloin


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