Food Connect Foundation

20/08/2026

If you could change one thing about the way we grow, share, eat and 'do' food, what would it be?

We put this Q to the crowd at SEQ Food Summit's People's Day but we'd love to you know your take too.

(Of course, food systems transformation takes a whole lot more than '1 thing!'- But we love the honesty, priorities and insights that pop up when you have to narrow it down to what you'd most like to see)

19/08/2026

On 21 July, SEQ Food Summit’s Policy Day set out to answer the question the previous two days (and many a discussion before that) had been building towards: how do we create the conditions that build a resilient local food system?

The day included:
🍎 A look at 20 years of Food Connect history, and the case for regenerative infrastructure and value chains, from FCF's Nina Yousefpour, Robert Pekin and Emma-Kate Rose
🍎 Two panel discussions (‘Food for Resilient Regions’ with Rachel Chambers, Dr Terry McCosker, Kay Tommerup & Helen Lewis; ‘Feeding Queensland — Building Partnerships That Actually Work’ with Dr Amanda Cahill, Dheepa Jeyapalan & Dr Lilly Lim-Camacho)
🍎Workshops with robust conversation and collaboration between policymakers and stakeholders - the first, on procurement, kicked off by a state-of-play from Dr Kiah Smith, Leah Galvin, CF, Madonna Thomson and Frank Dinneen; the second on priority areas identified through the day.

Discourse spanned plenty of topics and depth, but several key themes emerged:
🥕 the 2032 Olympics as a catalyst for long-term transformation rather than a single goal/destination
🥕 the infrastructure gaps and regulatory barriers hindering farmers (and by extension, our food security)
🥕 the key role of institutional procurement - and not just looking at who in government is doing the buying, but how we can prepare the whole supply chain
🥕 how crucial it is that responsibility for food systems and feeding our community be shared - across partnerships, communities, and all of government (food touches transport, health, education and more - it can’t sit in just 1-2 portfolios)

We closed out the Summit bolstered by the energy in the room, and just how focussed those gathered were on next steps and momentum. Every group reported back with action lists: priorities to map, working groups to build, the importance of creating pilot projects rather than waiting for the right stage or policy.

Thanks to Noosa Council and Centre for Policy Futures, UQ for helping make Policy Day possible.

If you’re interested in the full Summit report, including our recommendations, what needs to come next, and to be part of the SEQ Regional Food Working Group, let us know below or make sure you’re on our mailing list - it’ll be in inboxes soon!

https://fcf.org.au/event/2026SEQFS

18/08/2026

Industry Day of SEQ Food Summit set out to put the people doing the actual work (farmers, chefs, wholesalers, procurement leads, distributors) in the room together. Facilitated by leading food writer & podcaster, Dani Valent, we asked what it actually takes to close the gap between good intentions, and local supply chains that truly work - for everyone.

The day opened with a report-back from People's Day, then moved through two panels:
🌱 Healthy Country: for Productivity, Profit & People - with Dominique Chen (Yuruwan), Alex-Thompson Welch (Eastwell Farms) and Vanessa Smolders - supported by Healthy Land & Water
🌱 Connecting Farm & Kitchen - with Leah Galvin (Good Food Purchasing Australia), Dominiqe Bird (Wild Foods Distribution) , Martin Bouchier (The Table Food Consultants) and Graeme Twine (Suncoast Fresh)

Then we dove into the Industry Exchange - where the whole room broke into groups to tackle ideas and actions around priorities they’d identified and chosen through the day. Discussion rolled on well after formalities ended, with key themes including:
🍎 Strengthening regional distribution systems (supported by food hub infrastructure) as key for change and impact.
🍎Public and institutional procurement as a market opportunity.
🍎Improving food literacy - the importance of not just knowing where your food comes from, but what to do with it.

Across all groups, much of the ‘how’ we change at scale came down to the critical need for stronger collaborations - whether in supply relationships, or coordinating to push for and facilitate necessary infrastructure. Something that seems obvious at first glance, but where there’s still so much to be done.

These ideas - and calls for infrastructure, coordination and investment - were carried to Policy Day the next morning.

We closed out the day with our Eat Drink Think evening - joined by more foodies, and our wonderful speakers. We had the powerhouse author panel of Lucy Ridge (Fed Up: A Chef’s Adventures in Food Farming, and Feminism), Shika Finnemore (Eat Brisbane) and Sam Parish (Chefs Eat Brisbane) each with a unique lens on what happens when you appreciate and engage with local food - from farmer to fine dining. Then farmer Jacki Hinchey of Blue Dog Farm with heartfelt stories and her annual locavore challenge, and Loop’s Phil Garozzo ended on a grounded note with a guided meditation and prose.

Follow for the key themes discussed on Policy Day, and sign-up for emails below if you’d like the full Summit
https://fcf.org.au/

14/08/2026

On 19 July, SEQ Food Summit kicked off with People's Day - giving the community the mic, and a nudge to lean into what’s possible for our food system

Facilitated by Morag Gamble and Costa Georgiadis, the day's centrepiece was the Your Food Your Future Workshop. Our hosts had the passionate group (largely made up of young people, parents and teachers) mapping out what a thriving future food system for South East Queensland looks like - guided by a time machine, two flying trips to the year 2036, and looking at what we wanted to compost (ditch or reimagine) or fertilise (encourage) from 2026.

Sometimes policymakers and even industry can dismiss the general public (particularly youth) as well intentioned, but unrealistic. But what came back from the group discussions on People’s Day wasn’t an uninformed ‘wouldn’t-it-be-nice’ wishlist, and they weren’t thinking in siloes - they saw soil health, local economies, community connection and policy as one picture, each element fuelling the others (which is more food systems literacy than a lot of rooms twice their age manage...).

They saw healthy soils and regenerative farming as the foundation. Recognised the importance of local connection in fighting many of our challenges, and envisioned community gardens, food hubs, food rescue and other real social infrastructure to bolster it. Called for circular systems that treat waste as a design challenge (and potential), not an inevitability.

They called for education and storytelling to go beyond just ‘knowing your farmer’ or a bit of food tech at school - seeing it as something crucial to making every stage work (from sustainable and seasonal diets, to building momentum around what work is already being done, to food growing skills, systems literacy and much more). And running through all of it, a clear call for the policy and governance to back it up.

The afternoon then rolled into our Reel Food Stories evening, inspiring the workshop crowd and more who came with stories of food and connection - to place, source and people. We’re still getting rave reviews about the kangaroo salad served up by the Little Foxy food truck - a Green Fox Studio initiative.

People’s Day didn't stop at the sticky notes - the community’s priority areas and ideas were fed directly to Industry Day and Policy Day straight after.

Stay tuned for recaps of Industry and Policy Days, and if you’re interested in the full report from SEQ Food Summit, make sure you’re on our list:

https://fcf.org.au/

06/08/2026

More from SEQ Food Summit Industry Day - Martin Bouchier of The Table Food Consultants on the 'Connecting Farm & Kitchen' panel.

28/07/2026

"...actually institutions have saved money by embedding their values in the contracts and tenders that they have" - insight from Leah Galvin of Good Food Purchasing Australia busting myths in the 'Connecting Farm and Kitchen' panel on Industry Day of SEQ Food Summit.

Many believe (and many factors in the food system want you to believe) that sourcing food 'the right way' - whether that's local, sustainable, or by another value that's important to your organisation - is expensive and impractical. But often, the relationships and logistics that come into play mean the opposite - especially at scale.

From storytelling and data-sharing to what we stand to lose when cooking skills decline - stay tuned for more of the gold this panel had to share on how to make people care (and change).

22/07/2026

Feeling tired, wired but very inspired after SEQ Food Summit - 3 days of connecting with community, industry and policymakers on how we can collectively build a resilient regional food system.

We'll pop back in with proper recaps of each day, more insights, the brilliant actions/ideas delegates are bringing to life, and a formal report before long! In the meantime, if you joined us we'd love to hear and standout moments below.

We were trying to choose which (of many) photos to post today, but thought this video sums it up so well. Taken at 6:20pm on Industry Day, well after the day's program had ended, everyone still deep in conversation.

22/07/2026

A little glimpse of discussions on Day 2 of SEQ Food Summit

18/07/2026

17/07/2026

Do you dream of a more fairer, regenerative food system?
What can we do together to amplify and myceliate this change - for a vibrant local food culture that nourishes communities, the wellbeing of people and place, biodiversity, living soils and livelihoods? And if your ideas could be heard clearly by industry and policy makers, what would you say?

Join Morag Gamble and Costa Georgiadis Official this Sunday for Your Food, Your Future - People's Day workshop, SEQ Food Summit.

(Participants also score free tickets to Reel Food Stories!)

https://events.humanitix.com/your-food-your-future-community-workshop-seq-food-summit-people-s-day