by Alan Jacques
PALLASKENRY beef farmer and independent councillor Emmett O’Brien fears that County Limerick’s indigenous food producers are falling behind neighbouring regions in terms of branding and recognition as premium products.
The Adare-Rathkeale representative is calling for the development of a Limerick Food brand in a move back towards its “former glory”.
Cllr O’Brien said that a branding gap had already opened up between Limerick produce and craft foodstuffs originating in Cork and Tipperary and urged the Council and interested local producers to come together as soon as possible to develop a distinctive Limerick or Shannonside brand.
This, he maintains will identify and guarantee the quality of the food originating in the Limerick region.
“We have to realise that in addition to the overall national plans like Food Harvest that there’s a huge degree of internal competition going on as the craft or artisan foods from the different counties and regions of Ireland start jostling to get the best spot in the shop window – as it were.”
“Tipp and Cork got out there first to proclaim their local foods as representing the best that Munster has. It’s very noticeable that Tipperary already has ‘Totally Tipp’ and ‘Tipperary Food Producers’ as brand groups for their crafty foods while Cork, specifically West Cork, has the ‘Fuchsia’ brand,” he explained.
Cllr O’Brien wants craft food producers to exchange ideas and experiences and work towards a common brand that they all support and have a stake in.
“We have to add value to our own produce and the whole trend now whether in food or beverages is towards artisan niche products and away from anonymous processed foods made by huge global corporations and sold by equally huge global supermarket corporations,” he insists.
“This isn’t an abstract idea for me. I have a beef farm. I want to see Limerick’s food sector – which was once the envy of the country — starting to move back towards its former glory when, for instance, our Limerick ham was considered the best available in the English-speaking world and was automatically the ham that London’s best hotels and restaurants served.”
