The Adelaide Food Summit on The Future of Food was held between 25-26 October as a Tasting Australia event and made a declaration on the future of food.  It was signed by numerous chefs, producers, food media people and the odd politician and asserted the importance of food issues for society.

The declaration was written by an American – Dun Gifford, founder of Oldways Preservation Trust in Boston – who was a guest speaker at the summit. Among the signatories were Stephanie Alexander,  Maggie Beer, British television chef Antonio Carluccio and the Canadian author of Last Chance to Eat, Gina Mallet.

Since 2010 the Food South Australia Summit has been the peak conference for the state’s food and beverage industry. It’s hosted by Food South Australia and appears to have no connection to the original summit.

The Declaration from the Adelaide Food Summit of 2005 read as follows:

Declaration of Adelaide on the Future of Food

1. Access to safe, wholesome food in adequate quantities is a basic human right, and governments must accord high priority to giving force and effect to this right.

2. Public food policies and programs, such as in schools and hospitals, should be encouraged to include fresh, local, minimally processed and seasonal foods.

3. Promoting sustainable agricultural practices and preserving cultural and biological diversity are essential for the health of the planet and its inhabitants. To this end, governments should support sustainable, small-scale agriculture on the fringes of large population centres, and protect other threatened farmland.

4. Food producers should be appropriately rewarded for adopting and maintaining practices conducive to long-term sustainability.

5. It is essential that children learn at an early age about food production, flavour, food preparation and food culture; and about the impact of their food choices upon their well-being and that of the environment. All schools have a responsibility in this.

6. Governments need to adopt the precautionary principle in respect to new technologies associated with food.