Attended by a capacity nationwide audience, part of the first conference in the history of the Abergavenny Food Festival was also broadcast to the rest of the nation as a debate on BBC Radio 4's The Food Programme on Sunday. The all-day conference attracted food event organisers from all over the UK, as well as representatives from organisations promoting British and organic food, academics and others involved in rural regeneration. Looking at whether food festivals are a way to improve British Food Culture or merely extravaganzas for affluent foodies, the debate was chaired by The Food Programme's Sheila Dillon. Its headline speaker was Joanna Blythman, one of Britain's leading commentators on food related issues, whose latest book "Bad Food Britain" surveys the nation's "gastronomic illiteracy". Daunting Introducing the debate, she asked "How can food festivals ever begin to address these issues. It seems like a daunting mountain to climb, but I believe food festivals and farmers markets are an important weapon with which to change food culture." Calling food festivals "gastronomic ambassadors for a different sort of life style she said: "A trip to a food festival or a farmers market is like being let out on day release from prison!" However, she said it was also important that food festivals should "steer clear of the curse of celebrity" and "debunk any perceptions of exclusivity". Panelists were Tony Griffiths from the Welsh Assembly Government's Food and Market Development Division, Jessica Mitchell, Director of the Food Commission, the UK's leading independent food watchdog and Dr Martin Caraher, Reader for the Centre for Food Policy, City University. Also on the panel was East Anglian Farmer William Kendall who ran the New Covent Garden Soup Company for 9 years and until 2006 was Chief Executive of Green and Blacks and Martin Orbach, co-founder of the Abergavenny Food Festival. The conference at The Hill College Conference Centre in Abergavenny was sponsored by Miller Research (UK) Ltd, specialist research and evaluation consultancy company, and supported by adventa, Monmouthshire's Leader + rural development programme. Their spokeswoman, Louise McGuinness, said: "This was an extremely popular event. With a packed audience, representing a wide geographical spread and a range of food and rural regeneration interests, both from an academic and hands-on perspective, we had a lively exchange of views around the central theme of whether festivals are mere fads for affluent foodies or whether they can have a real impact on food culture. "Alongside the debate there were also other presentations and workshops around the central theme." Presenter Sheila Dillon, who chaired the debate, is presenter of BBC Radio 4's "The Food Programme" and creator of "Veg Talk", Radio 4's interactive grocery show. She has won awards for investigative reporting and features about topics such as BSE, the development of organic farming, bio- engineered foods and supermarket power. Journalist Key Note Speaker Joanna Blythman is an investigative journalist, broadcaster and food campaigner. She is an advocate of the benefits of good food and three-times winner of a Glenfiddich Award. She contributes to The Guardian, Waitrose Food Illustrated and Scotland's Sunday Herald and has also written a series of books: The Food We Eat, How To Avoid gm Foods and The Food Our Children Eat.
