“Good Food Ireland Calls on Irish People to Support Irish Food this St Patrick’s Day”

Margaret Jeffares (founder Good Food Ireland) and Publicity and Events Manager, Linda Thomas.

Good Food Ireland is calling on Irish people in the run up to St Patrick’s Day to buy local food and choose restaurants and hotels that are committed to using Irish food ingredients. I think that is something we can all go along with.

"Good Food Ireland is the only all island organisation to identify places to stay, to eat out, to shop or take a cookery course that prioritise Irish food and offer a high quality food experience, therefore supporting Irish farmers, food producers and fishermen.

Speaking at the launch of the campaign, Founder of Good Food Ireland, Margaret Jeffares comments, “We want to highlight to the Irish people and to visitors our approved network of people who are delivering to their customers a superb Irish food experience and who are the real local food heroes of our island. In supporting them you also help secure some 7,000 direct jobs and the livelihoods of many Irish food producers, farmers and fishermen that they buy from”.

"The economic benefit and  new rural enterprise opportunities that Good Food Ireland provides through linking agriculture and food with tourism is now more important than ever. Agriculture is at the heart of our Irish culture and culture seeking is No 1 at the heart of tourists."

 Look out for the Good Food Ireland sign or log onto www.goodfoodireland.ie. In addition to this support local campaign, the All Ireland Marketing Awards 2011 announced that Good Food Ireland has been short-listed as a Finalist for the Outstanding Small Business Award.