City of Melbourne celebrates food sustainability at Fed Square

Sustainability leaders and locally-grown foodie legends will dig into discussion at Fed Square this month, as part of City of Melbourne’s free Melbourne Conversations series.

The City Food Heroes event on Wednesday, May 22 will drive conversations around how food is creating better environmental and societal outcomes for Melburnians, while shedding light on some of the innovative food ecosystem initiatives being led by local organisations.

Hosted by Melbourne-based food writer Hilary McNevin, the expert panel will offer a mix of perspectives and insights from across the sustainable food lifecycle including:

• Ronni Kahn AO – an Australian social entrepreneur and founder of food rescue charity OzHarvest.

• Amanda Morgan – the founder of local research and development social enterprise Fungi Solutions, which uses fungi to divert waste from landfill and grow natural alternatives to plastic packaging.

• Kim Driver – local head of sustainably sourced greengrocer Natoora, which delivers groceries to Australians through its online shop and has stores internationally.

• Quincy Malesovas – Melbourne-based food writer and founder of experimental dining initiative Gruel Club, a platform for chefs and passionate cooks to run non-traditional culinary events.

• Bridget Lansell – the co-founder of sustainable seltzer start-up Wonki.

Attendees will enjoy light catering by Gruel Club and Wonki, an interactive display from Fungi Solutions, and a curated collection of books and resources at a pop-up library on-site.

Hosted at The Edge, one of the city’s premiere public speaking venues, the City Food Heroes forum is the third Melbourne Conversations partnership event between City of Melbourne and Fed Square for 2024.

“Melbourne is a melting pot of businesses, environmentalists and futurists spearheading positive change within our city’s growing food industry – and events like Melbourne Conversations give them an important platform to educate others,” Lord Mayor Sally Capp said.  

OzHarvest founder Ronni Kahn AO said he is “honoured and excited to be part of this important conversation and to share how we can all become climate activists, starting right in our homes.”

“Our individual actions all combine, leading to Melbourne becoming a more wonderfully sustainable city,” he said.

Tickets to City Food Heroes are free, but registration is essential. For more information and to register for tickets, visit What’s On Melbourne.