Supporting Commuity Food Initiatives

Safefood has announced the recipients of funding for their new Safefood Community Food Initiatives Programme 2025-'28, a €1.5 million investment to positively influence the eating habits of people in low-income communities across the island of Ireland. The four-year initiative will support 28 community organisations in setting up and implementing their work.

The Tipp recipients of the 2025-2028 Community Food Initiative funding are: Knockanrawley Resource Centre and Mid West Simon Community (Limerick, Clare and North Tipperary).

Welcoming the launch of Safefood’s Community Food Initiatives Programme, Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, said: “Unhealthy food choices are increasingly becoming the norm, impacting the health of our population. I am encouraged by the focus of Safefood’s Community Food Initiatives, which are more than just a source of learning about food; they build practical skills and knowledge at the grassroots level. I welcome that these local projects foster connections within communities, aiming to create a future where healthy eating is realistic, achievable, and accessible to all.”

Dr Gary A Kearney, Chief Executive of Safefood, continued: “We’re excited to launch our latest round of Safefood Community Food Initiatives. They have a proven track record of effectiveness and success, and we want to extend their impact by doubling the scale and increasing the scope of our work to include not only good nutritional and healthy eating help but also including ‘tips and trips’ around food safety for members of the public. In addition to the 28 projects, which will be funded for 4 years announced today, we are introducing a new cross border partnership that will fund a further 4 cross border projects. We will also be funding 25 additional one-off community projects each year under the scheme. This year marks 15 years since we first started working among communities and more than 65,000 people have taken part since then. By supporting people in low-income communities, these projects have the potential to create long-lasting changes in how people shop, plan and cook food. Ultimately, this work is about improving the access to, and availability of, healthy and safe food in our communities.”

FURTHER DETAILS

For more information on The Community Food Initiatives (CFI) Programme 2025–2028 visit: www.safefood.net/community-food-initiatives