Food Needs Equality of Esteem

The state needs to give food a status equal to that of health, shelter and transport, a café owner told the annual conference of the Restaurants Association of Ireland.

“Food is not seen as important, and feeding the community is not seen as an essential service,” Aisling Rogerson said.

Her Fumbally café has been feeding the community of Dublin 8 for 15 years, and she says that her most important concern is caring for the mental health and stability of her customers and staff.

She said that “intent” in Government is more fundamental than individual actions because recognising the “importance of the service we give” would bring about a change in approach and mindset.

The Lord Mayor of Dublin, James Geoghegan, stressed the importance of restaurants and pubs in a vibrant Dublin city and throughout the country. “Take away the cafes,  pubs and restaurants from a town or village and you are left with a void which will encourage anti-social behaviour,” he said.

France, he said, is passionate about its food culture - and so should Ireland be. An incoming Government, he said, should develop a strategy on food innovation.

The conference, at the Dublin Intercontinental Hotel, discussed entrepreneurship, technology, the cost of doing business, and learning and development.