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Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue has paid tribute to a young Donegal man he met at a recent major global food forum.

Minister McConalogue delivered a keynote address at the United Nations World Food Forum in Rome recebtly. The Minister spoke about how Ireland is focused on becoming the sustainable food capital of the world with farmers, fishers and food producers at the centre of this strategy.

“What we cannot have is the very thing that keeps us alive; food, being the very thing that’s driving our demise; unsustainable food production.

“I want us to be the sustainable food capital of the world with an industry that is global leader of food production, driven by young and dynamic people,” the Minister told the delegation of more than 100 countries.

While at the UN event, Minister McConalogue met with the Ireland’s Youth Delegation who were selected to attend the Forum. The seven-strong delegation was made up of young pioneers in the Irish food industry. One of the delegates was Clonmany native Adam Mullins who is the founder of the Galway Student Pantry. This is an initiative developed by Adam to combat food waste where food is redistributed to students of NUI Galway.

“The Irish youth delegates are some of the most impressive and inspirational people I’ve met from the food industry. They are forging incredible careers in their own right but, crucially, they are making a huge impact in the future direction of our sustainable food sector.

“Adam Mullins from Clonmany is a real force of nature and is making a real difference to the lives of students in Galway while also tackling food waste. I look forward to watching his developments in the years ahead. I know he will continue to make a real impact.”