Carmarthenshire businesses have taken part in a successful Local Food Expo at Parc y Scarlets.
Carmarthenshire County Council organised the event to promote local food producers and suppliers in the county.
The morning event gave members of School Councils from across the county to meet about 20 new and established award winning food producers and sample their produce.
There were some 2000 pupils representing various Schools Councils from across the County who attended the event and found it beneficial. This was the first event of its kind to have been organised and linked in with ‘Appetite for Life’. Officers from the council’s sustainable development section worked with pupils to look at the issue of cutting down on food waste. Among the youngsters’ responses put down on feedback cards were: eat everything on your plate, refrigerate food, compost all waste food, share food with your neighbours, and do not buy what you won’t eat.
A comment that was received from Coedcae Comprehensive School was “This was the best school council trip ever!”
The afternoon session was for aimed at the trade and hospitality business people to attend.
Celia Jennings, of Celia’s Oriental Kitchen in Ammanford, said: “The Food Expo was a very good event. In the morning when the children came along from different schools they tried our food samples. You get feedback of what they like to eat. Our queue was so long.”
Steve Swinglehurst of Highmead Dairies, Llanybydder, said: “We are one of the few processing dairies left in Wales. There were a lot of school children in the morning and we had a school milk quiz with quite a few entries.”
Welsh Brew sales director James Wenden said the Food Expo had been very useful.
“We are a Swansea-based company which blends Kenyan and Assam tea. We are one of the few bilingually packaged products you will see on the supermarket shelves. The Food Expo has been very informative for us.”
Council business development officer Barry Davies said: “It was a very good event. It gave pupils and trade people the opportunity to meet other businesses in the food producing sector.
“I think the School Councils got a lot out of the morning session as the feedback that has been received has all been very positive.”
Executive board member Cllr Clive Scourfield said: “The Food Expo is a great way to promote the food industry in Carmarthenshire and the local economy.”
