Food for Thought returns for its second event this autumn, bringing together voices from government, education, food and community leadership to explore the pressing and closely connected issues of food education and food inequality. Bringing together research, lived experience and practical action, the event will shine a light on how access to good food is shaped by the environments around us, and how initiatives are helping children build a stronger connection to food through hands-on learning in schools.
Hosted at Plumpton College’s Agrifood Centre on Thursday 1 October, 2.00pm–5.00pm, this latest event builds on the success of last year’s inaugural gathering and promises another engaging afternoon of insight and discussion.
We are delighted to welcome Dominic Watters as one of our keynote speakers for this year’s Food for Thought event. A researcher and founder of Food is Care CIC, Dominic’s work explores food inequality, access to healthy food and the wider food environments that shape people’s lives, bringing an informed and thought-provoking voice to this important conversation.
Representing the Grounds for Growing project, Katie Eberstein leads Brighton & Hove’s award-winning Our City Our World programme, driving climate change, sustainability and environmental education across the city’s schools. Alongside Anne Gibbs, Headteacher of Goldstone Primary School, and Ruth Chalker, horticulturalist and Plumpton College alumna, Katie will explore how school growing spaces can engage young people, strengthen connections with nature and embed sustainability across the curriculum.
More speakers are being added including Dr Charlie Taverner, Farming Lead at the Food, Farming & Countryside Commission, who will share insights from his work in farming policy, his family’s dairy farm, and his background as a food historian to examine why reconnecting communities with agriculture is both increasingly challenging and more important than ever.
Book free spaces - Book your space – Event Series: Food For Thought – AgriFood Centre, Wales Farm Lane

Consumer demand for beans has never been stronger. The latest data from Nielsen shows that, in the first half of 2026, unit sales of beans, pulses, tofu and tempeh grew by 7.3% compared to the same period a year ago, with value sales also up by 10.1%.

Protein and fibre are among grocery's fastest growing areas, while shoppers continue to prioritise health, value and convenience. Yet retail activation has not kept pace. Beans remain underrepresented across many high footfall categories and shopping occasions, leaving substantial commercial growth untapped.

Hosted jointly by The Food Foundation and IGD, this webinar will explore how businesses can respond. Drawing on examples from across the industry, speakers will discuss how they are approaching product innovation, premiumisation, merchandising, marketing and category development, and what others can learn from their experience. Speakers include:

• Chair: Mike Barry, Co-Founder, Planeatry Alliance
• Sarah Bradbury, CEO, IGD
• Matthew McAuliffe, Brand, Futures & Quality Innovation Director, The Compleat Food Group
• Grace Ricotti, Head of Health, Nutrition and Sustainable Diets, Marks & Spencer
• Chloe MacKean, Food Business Transformation, The Food Foundation

Come along and meet other local buyers and suppliers from across Sussex, sample some goods, and find out about new and existing routes to market in the area. To book a place and get your business added to the local directory, visit the website or email helen.graham@communityactioneastsussex.org.uk