Limerick community project awarded share of safefood funding

A COMMUNMITY project in Limerick has been awarded a share of safefood funding to help positively influence healthy eating habits.

Ballyhoura Development is one of 13 community projects to be awarded a share of €740,000 of safefood funding to transform the shopping and healthy eating habits of low-income communities across the country.

The initiatives are part of safefood's Community Food Initiative (CFI) Programme which aims to positively influence healthy eating habits by supporting the development of skills and knowledge around food, healthier shopping and cooking skills.

Welcoming the new projects, Ray Dolan, Chief Executive safefood, said: "The work of Community Food Initiatives has never been more important. We face rising food and living costs and the pressure that puts on low-income families in eating a healthy, balanced diet while meeting other essential household expenses.

"The projects joining our CFI programme put healthy eating on the agenda in local communities and can improve family health, tackle inequality, and change people’s lives for the better.

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By focusing on skills and knowledge in relation to food, this can have a transformative effect on families across the island of Ireland."

Catherine Smyth, Development Manager with Ballyhoura Development continued: "Our aim is to work with adults and children in target areas to make them aware of the benefits of good nutrition to their mental and physical health, and to equip them with the skills and knowledge they need to nurture themselves and their families."

Ryan Howard Chief Executive SECAD continued: "We are delighted that safefood has entrusted us with the role of coordinator for the Community Food Initiative (CFI) 2022-24. 

"We have designed the CFI in a manner that fits well within existing local development structures and supports. The programme will be delivered by a group of projects – four in Northern Ireland and nine in Republic of Ireland - who have identified how they can maximise the impact of the Community Food Initiative in their areas.

"Each project itself provides an exemplar for others to follow, and these can inform safefood in terms of inputting into current and future policy development on the island of Ireland."