A young Inishowen man has been praised for his inspirational work addressing student food poverty.
Adam Mullins from Clonmany was part of Ireland’s Youth Delegation at the United Nations World Food Forum in October.
As a young pioneer of the Irish food industry, he was asked to join the seven-strong delegation in Rome.
Adam is the founder of the Galway Student Pantry, an initiative developed this year to combat food waste where leftover food is redistributed from supermarkets to students of NUI Galway.
At home, Adam witnessed the success of Clonmany Community Pantry, and recognised the benefits it had in terms of support for locals and sustainability. Upon moving to Galway last year to study astrophysics, Adam identified a gap and potential benefit for a similar system in University of Galway. The Student Pantry has proven invaluable, with many University of Galway students struggling to make ends meet with the high cost of living today.
Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue has paid tribute to Adam’s work after meeting the delegation at the forum.
McConalogue meets Adam Mullins in Rome
“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,” Minister McConalogue said.
“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.”
Minister McConalogue delivered a keynote address at the United Nations World Food Forum, speaking 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,” he said.
“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.
