“Food for Thought”. Kildare County Council’s Local Enterprise Office seek views of the public on development of county food strategy

Kildare County Council’s Local Enterprise Office have commissioned a new food & beverage strategy for the county. The aim of this strategy is to create a road map for the food and beverage sector and raise the profile of Kildare grown and produced products at a national level

The county has been synonymous with food production with larger food manufacturers such as Dawn Farms, Kerry Foods and O Brien Fine Foods all having their manufacturing facilities in the county. In recent years the county has also seen the emergence of some producers in new food and beverage categories like craft beer, nut butters and Asian sauces.

In parallel, the counties restaurants and foodservice operators have seen their profiles raised with diverse menu offerings and new chefs and bakers moving into the county.

Core to the new strategy formation will be a consultation process which will involve feedback from all food business stakeholders to ascertain their views and ideas. In addition to this industry feedback the research offers the opportunity for Kildare consumers and the public to give their views. These views will play a key role in assisting Kildare County Council in the development of the food sector going forward.

Head of Enterprise with Kildare County Council, Jacqui McNabb said:

“The food sector plays a critical role in the Irish economy. Kildare County Council have prioritised the development of the Model School in Athy into a food, drink and skills innovation hub to support the growth of the sector. At the same time, new and emerging artisan producers are bringing a fantastic dynamism and offerings to our towns and villages. This consumer research will assist Kildare County Council in prioritising the key areas that we need to focus when delivering a food strategy for the county. We are looking for consumer views on food festivals, food tourism and other food culture topics”

The public can access the survey on www.localfoodviews.com. Participants in the survey will be in with a chance of winning one of three 3 x €50 “Dine in Kildare” vouchers.