Experts to discuss future of food as part of Bloom Festival

More than 30 food writers, growers, chefs and industry specialists will offer their insights on key food issue.

Meanwhile, the winning class from GIY and innocent’s 2016 Sow & Grow campaign will visit the GIY zone at Bloom on June 2, when there will be a discussion on ‘how to set up a school garden’.

This will be delivered by GIY’s head grower Lucy Bell, Hans Wieland from the Organic Centre and Paddy Madden and Lizzie Gore Grimes from the Irish Food Writers’ Guild.

Also featuring during the festival will be a blind taste challenge, with a panel of celebrity CEOs, to launch Cully & Sully’s annual ‘Give Peas a Chance’ event in which teams from more than 500 companies will try to grow peas on their desk at work.

The future of organic gardening, healthy workplaces, community gardens, healthy food, the real cost of “cheap” food, food waste and food exports will also be on the agenda during the four days of Bloom.

On Sunday afternoon at 3pm Suzanne Campbell from the Irish Food Writers Guild will be joined by Food Blogger Keith Bohanna as they take a look at the real costs of cheap food and whether the ‘39c veg’ is harming vegetable growers.

The final day of Food Matters sees Donal O’Shea from UCD and Biddy White Lennon discussing the topic of hospital food as they consider if its making the nation sick.

“All of the topics on the Food Matters stage are about getting under the hood of our food to look at issues that deeply affect all of our lives,” GIY founder Michael Kelly said yesterday.

“We are delighted to team up with Bloom to bring such an informative and thought-provoking programme to the centre of the show,” he said.

All of the Food Matters events are free to attend as part of the Bloom Festival ticket.