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What is the government's National Food Plan and why do so many people feel that it lacks vision?

Join us to discuss food sovereignty and participate in developing an alternative to the National Food Plan - a People's Food Plan.

Food – along with water, and air – is the essence of life. So healthy food systems are needed to:

•          Feed all people well

•          Look after all food producers

•          Nurture the land and water from which food is produced

As you may know, the Federal Government is currently developing a ‘National Food Plan’ to integrate all food related policy. It proposes more of the same – a market-driven food system, to make profits for agribusiness and retail corporations, with little regard for social, economic and environmental justice.

In reply to this, the Australian Food Sovereignty Alliance (AFSA) has been working hard for the last few months to develop a 'People's food plan'.

 (see http://australian.foodsovereigntyalliance.org/ for more details)

The People's Food Plan proposes a holistic view of our food system and a comprehensive understanding of the changes required to turn this system into one that meets the needs of the people who depend on it rather than filling the coffers of the companies who control it.

This plan needs input from the people, communities and groups it proposes to represent. The AFSA has been helping to set up meetings all over Australia to facilitate this process. To give as many people as possible a chance to come along to the meetings there will be 2 meetings in Newcastle, the first on Wednesday 17th October and the second on Tuesday 23rd October (7.15pm at Uniting Church Hall, 152 Beaumont Street, Hamilton). 

For more information about the meetings in Newcastle contact Rhyall Gordon on 0408 497 642 

The main objectives of the consultation meetings are to

•          highlight the flaws in the government’s approach to date,        

•          start exploring better visions for the future of Australian food and farming,  

•          set the foundation for a food justice movement that is coherent, comprehensive and long‐term, throughout Australia.

From AFSA’s perspective, the most important part of this consultation process is that it opens a conversation and begins a longer term process for movement‐building and for developing a comprehensive plan for guiding the future of food in Australia.