Ulster farmers, Adrian McGowan, Millbank Farm, Roy Lyttle, Roy Lyttle Ltd, Mark McKee, Fresh Fields and Shane Donnelly, Donnelly Horticulture from local growers’ group, Veg NI, have joined forces to launch their Parful Produce initiative today at the Balmoral Show.

Using a small starting grant from Agri-Food Cooperation Scheme (DAERA), their aim is to ‘cultivate a vibrant, sustainable horticulture industry that helps consumers, growers, communities and our environment to thrive’.

Responding to concerning findings of The Food Foundation report, which revealed that NI has the lowest level of fruit and vegetable consumption across the devolved administrations, Veg NI is hoping to encourage more vegetable consumption through their Parful Produce brand.

Veg NI’s Adrian McGowan and Ulster Farmers’ Union Vegetable Chair said; “We are trying to build a brand and movement from the ground up, mobilising growers, engaging with customers and gaining support, with the hope of raising the profile of Northern Irish grown produce, and the consumption of local seasonal vegetables.”

The Food Foundation Report revealed that there is a nutritional gap between rich and poor. The less well-off you are, the more likely you are to be prey to unhealthy food.

The Henry Dimbleby Food Strategy report also unveiled that ‘The UK now has a once in a lifetime opportunity to reshape the food system. The pandemic has created a momentum for change - in Government and in the industry as well as amongst the public. There is a widespread recognition that we need to change our national diet as a matter of urgency’.

“Veg NI is showcasing the healthy, affordable, nutritious food we have right here in Northern Ireland and not forgetting the positive environmental effects of local vegetable production. This includes reducing our carbon footprint with low food miles and encouraging biodiversity which is vital to sustain our wildlife and our pollinators. And critically we can be absolutely certain of the provenance of our food and the high standards of our food production, which are the most stringent in the world,” said Mr McGowan.