Limerick Food Partnership Conference: Building Sustainable Food Futures

The report, Building Sustainable Food Futures: Food Insecurity, Community Provision and Strategic Action in Limerick City & County, is one of the most comprehensive local studies of food insecurity undertaken in Ireland to date. Importantly, it is already informing practical action, including the development of two new digital tools designed to improve access and supply, coordination and evidence‑based planning across the food system.  

The research is being launched at the Limerick Food Partnership Conference: Building Sustainable Food Futures, taking place today (Friday 17th April) at the Woodlands House Hotel in Adare.  

Led by Limerick Food Partnership and commissioned by the Council’s Healthy Ireland programme the three-year study combined large‑scale surveys, community focus groups, assemblies and detailed geographic mapping of food supports, retail food environments, transport links and local infrastructure across urban and rural Limerick.   

The findings highlight that food insecurity in Limerick is not confined to areas of visible disadvantage. Instead, it is often hidden and shaped by a combination of factors including income insecurity, housing and homelessness, health challenges, transport barriers and fragmented access to information.   

Knowing what supports exist, where they are located and how to access them is one of the strongest barriers identified in the research. This has directly informed the development of:  

• A public‑facing Food Access App, designed to help individuals and families identify local food supports and services more easily  
• A restricted‑access Food Access Dashboard, enabling policymakers, the local authority and community organisations to use local data to improve coordination, target resources and inform strategic decision‑making  

These tools translate extensive research into practical supports for both communities and those planning services.   

The report documents a strong network of community, voluntary and statutory services addressing food need across Limerick. However, it also highlights that many of these services are operating at or near capacity, often relying on volunteers, short‑term funding and surplus food supplies.   

The research shows that many households experiencing food insecurity do not access formal food supports, often due to concerns about dignity, visibility, limited choice or lack of information. As a result, food insecurity can remain hidden until it becomes acute.   

By combining lived experience with mapping and data analysis, the report identifies food insecurity as a whole‑system challenge, requiring more coordinated, preventative and dignity‑centred responses.  

Limerick City and County Council and Limerick Food Partnership emphasised that the report is intended to support more effective planning and use of public resources. The Food Access App and Dashboard provide a foundation for integrating food access considerations into local development plans, health strategies and funding decisions, while strengthening collaboration across sectors.  

The report outlines a path forward with its eight recommendations including:   

• Advocate through policy submissions and formal representation to ensure income adequacy sufficient to prevent food poverty.   
• Expand and stabilise proven food access supports through increased investment in existing, effective programmes, while strengthening community wealth through social enterprise development to deliver Meals on Wheels, School Meals and Summer Meals.   
• Increased investment in Meals on Wheels and school food provision must be matched by targeted capacity‑building   
• Ongoing resourcing of Limerick Food Partnership to provide sustained coordination of, and strategic planning for Limerick’s food environment  
• focused on governance, coordination, sustainability and capacity‑building, with Limerick Food Partnership identified as a key local mechanism for leading and coordinating future action  
• Actively pursue European funding and collaboration opportunities to channel large‑scale investment into local communities  
• Support the expansion of the Healthy Food Made Easy Programme into the county  
• Continued development of the Limerick Food Access App and the Limerick Food Access Dashboard  
• Support the expansion of the Healthy Food Made Easy Programme into the county  
• Establish a choice‑based social supermarket food support model  

Mayor of Limerick, John Moran, commented:  

“This robust body of work demonstrates that tackling food insecurity and poverty as a whole across Limerick requires co-ordination, long term investment and all agencies pulling in the same direction to achieve that aim. As Mayor, I am committed to working to create long-term sustainable solutions through the ‘More Healthy’ pillar of the mayoral programme, along with the broader goal of developing ‘equal opportunity for all’ across Limerick, including in the area of food insecurity, which is continuing to progress. The evidence presented gives us a foundation to work with suppliers, communities and partners to build a food ecosystem that benefits producers and consumers. I congratulate the Limerick Food Partnership and our own Healthy Ireland team on producing this research which will hopefully form policy structures into the future.”  

Minister for Social Protection and Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht, Dara Calleary TD is attending the conference. He said:  

“Food insecurity is a complex and often hidden challenge that requires coordinated, evidence-based responses. This report from Limerick City and County Council and Limerick Food Partnership demonstrates the value of strong local collaboration in understanding need and delivering practical solutions. My Department is pleased to support this work which plays an important role in improving access to information, strengthening service coordination and informing policy at both local and national level.” 

Speaker at the event, Billy Kelleher MEP added:  

“Food poverty affects communities across the world, including here at home in Ireland. It demands both local insight and systemic action to make tangible differences. The work undertaken in Limerick provides a powerful example of how detailed research, combined with community engagement and digital innovation, can inform more effective and sustainable responses. There are important lessons here for other regions, particularly in how we design food systems that are more inclusive, resilient, and centred on human dignity. Initiatives like this can help shape future European approaches to tackling food insecurity.”  

Catherine Caball, Limerick Food Partnership Co-Ordinator says the report outlines ‘tangible solutions’:  

“Three years ago, Limerick Food Partnership, with the support of Healthy Limerick, commissioned me to examine food insecurity across Limerick City and County. Over that time, I met extraordinary people, showing immense community spirit, generosity and determination, often while working with very limited resources. I saw real food inequality: people with no reliable access to food, fully aware that this directly affects their health, dignity and life chances.  

“Limerick Food Partnership exists to improve access to and supply of healthy food so everyone in Limerick City and County can live healthier lives, now and in the future. Through our research, listening to community organisations, mapping existing supports, and developing the Food Access Dashboard, we now know that real, tangible and achievable solutions exist. What is needed is modest, targeted infrastructure investment and a shift to funding people, not projects. Being part of this work has been a privilege, and the attainable outcomes give real cause for confidence let us drive our collective action to make lasting change happen."  

Príomh Chomhairleoir, Cllr Catherine Slattery welcomed the report, saying:   

“This research reflects what many of us working at community level see every day, that food insecurity is often hidden and shaped by a range of interconnected challenges. The Food Access App and Dashboard are practical tools that will make a real difference, helping people to find supports more easily while also enabling better coordination between services.”   

Sean Lenihan, Director of Service, Limerick City and County Council said: 

“The research undertaken by Limerick Food Partnership and Healthy Limerick marks a significant step forward in how we understand and respond to food insecurity across the city and county. The robust local insight and the development of an accessible app and digital dashboard give us a much stronger foundation for decision-making, allowing us to target resources more effectively and plan for long-term, sustainable solutions.”  

The publication of Building Sustainable Food Futures: Food Insecurity, Community Provision and Strategic Action in Limerick City & County reflects a shared commitment by Limerick City and County Council and Limerick Food Partnership to move beyond crisis‑driven responses toward a resilient, coordinated and equitable local food system.  

As the report concludes, robust local evidence provides not just data, but clarity and direction - supporting better policy, better planning and better outcomes for communities across Limerick city and county.   

Read the Report: Building Sustainable Food Futures 

About Limerick Food Partnership  

Limerick Food Partnership (LFP) is a collaborative partnership between community and voluntary organisations and statutory agencies. It is hosted by Limerick City Partnership and has been working across Limerick City and County since 2005.  

Limerick Food Partnership brings together organisations from health, education, local government, community development and social inclusion. By working together, we can respond to immediate needs while also addressing the wider issues that shape our local food system. This partnership approach allows us to take coordinated action on food poverty, food access and food sustainability, and to support long-term change across the county.  

Limerick Food Partnership is guided by a multi-agency Steering Group made up of representatives from community, voluntary and statutory organisations across Limerick City and County. This group provides leadership, direction and shared expertise to support the work of the partnership.  

Limerick Food Partnership Steering Group is made up of representatives of the following: 

• Ballyhoura Development CLG 
• Health Promotion & Improvement, HSE 
• Limerick and Clare Education & Training Board 
• Limerick City & County Council 
• Limerick CYPSC – David Studer 
• Limerick Enterprise Development Partnership (LEDP) 
• Mary Immaculate College 
• Mid-West SIMON 
• Limerick City Partnership CLG 
• Redemptorists, Limerick 
• St Vincent de Paul 
• West Limerick Resources CLG 
• University of Limerick 

Find out more: Limerick Food Partnership | Limerick City Partnership