Students celebrate sustainable food success in ‘Food for Thought’ competition

St Louis Grammar joint winners of Food for Thought sustainable food competition study visit to Greenmount College

Secondary schools across Mid and East Antrim have participated in the Council’s ‘Food for Thought’ competition, a STEM-based initiative promoting sustainable food production in collaboration with local manufacturers and educational partners.

Part of the wider Activate Your Curiosity programme—which includes the popular annual Brian Cox Summer School—the competition invited students to design a logo that represents sustainable food production.

The winning designs were printed on eco-friendly t-shirts, worn by the winners during a special study visit to the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE) at its Greenmount Campus in Antrim.

The visit included a hands-on experience for students with a guided tour of CAFRE’s land-based engineering and horticultural facilities. Highlights included the walled gardens, greenhouses, and an interactive Grow Careers walk and talk tour where students engaged in planting activities and garden design.

St Killans College joint winners of Food for Thought sustainable food competition study visit to Greenmount College

Mayor of Mid and East Antrim, Councillor Jackson Minford, commended the initiative and praised the student winners, saying:

“The ‘Food for Thought’ competition highlighted that it’s important to find food production methods that are better for the planet and for us.

“I would like to congratulate winners Ava Grettens from St Killan’s College, Carnlough and Emily Donnelly from St Louis Grammar, Ballymena. Both the students created logos that show a real understanding of food sustainability and a bold and well thought out design.

“The runners up were five Year 9 students from Ulidia Integrated College, Carrickfergus, and I would like to thank them for taking part.

“On behalf of Mid and East Antrim Borough Council, I would also like to thank Greenmount Campus for providing a fantastic educational and fun day out for the students.”

As part of the competition, participating schools were given a specially developed teacher resource booklet from the Council’s Museum and Heritage Service. This booklet explored the history of farming in the Ballymena area, helping to link historical agricultural practices with present-day sustainability efforts.

Additional resources included a short film on climate change—based on 150 years of meteorological data—from the Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, and a video from the Ulster Farmers’ Union on how Northern Ireland farmers are adopting more sustainable farming methods.

The winning t-shirts were printed by Rhuban Design, a local family-run business based in Whitehead, known for their commitment to ethical sourcing and sustainable, eco-friendly printing.

This educational initiative not only encouraged students to explore food sustainability but also underscored the important role of STEM in addressing environmental challenges facing the agri-food industry today.