Cardinia online community food forum

Thanh Truong, aka 'The Fruit Nerd' (a fresh produce expert), will be hosting this year's forum.

The Cardinia Community Food Forum will be held online on Tuesday 9 November as part of Cardinia Shire Council’s commitment to a healthy, delicious, sustainable and fair food system.

The 2021 theme is: “our actions are our future: food systems caring for country, a healthy community, farms and food enterprises”.

To celebrate the International Year of Fruit and Vegetables, the forum will be hosted by well-known fresh produce expert Thanh Truong the Fruit Nerd and will feature keynote speaker, passionate advocate for nutrition and food systems transformation, medical doctor and CEO of VicHealth, Dr Sandro Demaio.

The online forum will include a range of speakers, news updates and panel discussions with Monash University Department of Nutrition, Dietetics and Food, as well as young food leaders, young farmers, and local social enterprises of The Lime Box Café, Siri Guru Nanak Darbar Urban Farm, Cockatoo Community House Sustainable Food Project and The Community Grocer.

“Cardinia is blessed with fertile farmland, innovative famers and food businesses as well as a diversity of food cultures, skills and knowledge,” says Cardinia Shire Mayor, Cr Brett Owen.

“The theme of this year’s forum is ‘our actions are our future’. That comes down to the food we eat, how it’s grown and produced and how far it travels to get to our table.

“We also want to draw attention to, and celebrate, the projects young people are leading and their role in continuing to build a resilient food system in a really challenging environment.

“Our young people are taking on the responsibility and stewardship of our food system, so we need to support them to help deliver on our aspirations for a healthy, delicious, sustainable and fair food system for all,” the Mayor explains.

The annual forum is organised by Cardinia Food Circles, a collective impact project based on the knowledge that individual actions and efforts are limited, however when we work collectively towards a common goal, we maximise our impact. The project includes a whole-of-community response that involves our schools, farms, businesses, organisations, residents and local government working together towards a shared vision.

The online forum is FREE and open to the public. Visit https://cardiniafoodforum.eventbrite.com to register your place. Ticket numbers are limited.

For more information about the Cardinia Food Circles Project and Cardinia Shire’s Community Food Strategy, visit Council’s website at www.cardinia.vic.gov.au/foodforum or call the Customer Support team on 1300 787 624 or email mail@cardinia.vic.gov.au