Adelaide Food Summit Makes an Impact

Key participants in the inaugural Adelaide Food Summit on The Future of Food in late October 2005 released a declaration expressing their deep concerns about the future of food and agriculture in Australia, and about the well-being of the population and the implications of increasing obesity.

The Adelaide Food Summit, a new event at Tasting Australia, attracted a cornucopia of international and national food writers, broadcasters, chefs, restaurateurs, producers, educators, industry experts and researchers. Some of the key sessions included: 'Food for health and well-being', 'The benefits of collaboration in global markets' and 'The role of chefs in shaping food trends and demand'. Among the experts were representatives from the Marine Stewardship Council, Food Standards Australia and New Zealand, the Oldways Preservation Trust USA, The National Centre of Excellence in Functional Foods,
and CSIRO Health Sciences and Nutrition.

President of the Boston-based Oldways Preservation Trust, K. Dun Gifford, believes this declaration will have real impact far beyond the state of South Australia and even of Australia. "In its clarity and directness, and sense of purpose, this is a unique statement about the all-important issues of our food supply."

"Australia has achieved a great deal in agricultural innovation and food production," said Dr Barbara Santich, South Australian-based  food academic. "For example, we are now paying much more attention to the sustainability of our resources, especially marine resources. Looking ahead, we need to ensure that food producers are appropriately rewarded for adopting sustainable practices." "The Food Summit has delivered beyond any expectations," said Ian Parmenter, Festival Director, Tasting Australia. "I'm thrilled that for the first time in this country such a comprehensive statement has been made about the future of our food by such an influential group of food professionals."

Declaration of Adelaide on the Future of Food                        
We the undersigned food professionals express our deep concerns about the future of food and agriculture in Australia, and about the well-being of the population and the implications of increasing obesity. Gathered here at the Adelaide Food Summit organised by Tasting Australia We therefore declare:

1. Access to safe, wholesome food in adequate quantities is a basic human right, and  governments must accord high priority to giving force and effect to this right.
2. Public food policies and programs, such as in schools and hospitals, should be encouraged to include fresh, local, minimally-processed and seasonal foods.
3. Promoting sustainable agricultural practices and preserving cultural and biological diversity are essential for the health of the planet and its inhabitants. To this end,  governments should support sustainable, small-scale agriculture on the fringes of large population centres, and protect other threatened farmland.
4. Food producers should be appropriately rewarded for adopting and maintaining practices conducive to long-term sustainability.
5. It is essential that children learn at an early age about food production, flavour, food preparation and food culture; and about the impact of their food choices upon their well-being and that of the environment. All schools have a responsibility in this.
6. Governments need to adopt the precautionary principle in respect to new technologies associated with food.

Signatories:
K. Dun Gifford, President, Oldways Preservation Trust, Boston, USA; Jane Adams, Chairman, Australian Farmers' Markets Association, NSW; Stephanie Alexander, food writer, Victoria; Maggie Beer, cook, writer, food, South Australia; Antonio Carluccio, TV presenter,  Broadcaster and food writer, UK; Ian Hemphill, President, Food Media Club Australia, NSW; Gina Mallet, author of Last Chance to Eat, Canada; Lyndey Milan, Food Director, The Australian Women's Weekly, and TV presenter, NSW; John Newton, journalist and author, NSW; Jill Norman, food writer, UK; Ian Parmenter, Festival Director, Tasting Australia, WA; Cherry Ripe, food writer and author, NSW; Associate Professor Barbara Santich, Graduate Program in Gastronomy, University of Adelaide, SA; Joanna Savill, journalist and TV presenter, SBS, NSW.

John Newton, who chaired the Food Summit and is a signatory of the Declaration, explains the Summit's origins.

As pleasant and useful an event as Tasting Australia and its accompanying Food & Wine Writers' Festival has always been, regular participants have been heard to mutter in the bars and restaurants that it needed a serious note. That was, more or less, the genesis of the Adelaide Food Summit. Organisers Ian Parmenter and David Evans listened and agreed that the festival needed a pointy end. And we got it. Over two days, a broad church of food activists, scientists, industry spokespeople, public servants, chefs and commentators delivered papers and sat on panels discussing everything from "The Role of Chefs in Shaping Food Trends and Demand" to "Functional Foods for Genome Health".

I chaired the event, and was amused to find myself introducing people who I would otherwise have cast as the enemies of good food policy - I likened it to having invited the enemy into the tent. Gay Bilson, in a story she has written for Divine Food & Wine magazine compared the Summit to a team sport, with the two opposing teams being The Rationalists vs The Romantics. Astute and apt. But it is necessary that these two sides get together and compare notes, if only to realise just how far apart they are: like the gentleman from a large flour milling company who, when we criticised sliced white (not) bread, responded by saying that the bread from the hot bread shop was not much different. These were his only two parameters. But such encounters with aliens are as important for the Romantics as they are for the Rationalists.

I, personally, learnt more from those two days than I have in the last two years - by listening with my mind wide open. For me, one of the most fascinating speakers was Dr Michael Fenech, principal researcher at CSIRO Health Sciences and Nutrition, who, his introduction told us, recently proposed the concept that recommended dietary allowances should be based on genetic stability because damage to DNA is a critical underlying cause of  developmental and degenerative disease. He said: look at one hundred people and you can tell, from their genomes, whether they can smoke with impunity or will be susceptible to lung cancer; whether they should have a diet high in folates or can safely eat what they like. I am simplifying, but that's the gist.

And perhaps what I most liked about the good doctor was that he did love his food. No diet wowser there. There'll be another Food Summit in conjunction with Tasting Australia in two years time. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to any member serious about wanting to take a peek beyond the blinkers of the immediate present into the good, the bad and the ugly on the horizon.