A dedication to partnerships
Innovative partnerships to help teach healthy, lifelong habits to communities across Ireland.
We prioritise working in partnership with organisations across the island to ensure that everyone has access to the information and resources they need to make healthy and safe food choices. We work in partnership to develop communications and education resources that support healthy, lifelong habits particularly among vulnerable or marginalised groups.
Sports
Connecting with children through with sports programmes is an engaging way to nurture positive health habits during the early stages of life and provide the building blocks towards a longer and healthier life.
‘Health@Play’ - Special Olympics Ireland
An innovative new partnership in 2023 saw the launch of the ‘Health@Play’ programme, developed by safefood in partnership with Special Olympics Ireland. ‘Health@Play’ uses fun, interactive games to help teach healthy, lifelong habits to younger athletes and their parents.
The programme brings, for the first-time, health education through sport to children with intellectual disabilities aged 4-15 years within their community clubs and schools. ‘Health@Play’ builds upon the work of Special Olympics Ireland and complements their existing Health Promotion Programme which is available to athletes aged 16 and over.
Special Olympics Ireland presented safefood with a Golisano Health Leadership Award for the significant contribution to improving the health education opportunities available for children with intellectual disabilities through the Health@Play programme.
safefood continues to explore fun and engaging ways to educate children on the importance of eating healthily and how that connects with being active.
If you would like any further information on the programme, please contact [email protected].
‘On the Ball' – Irish Football Association
safefood is proud to be the official safe and healthy eating partner of the Irish Football Association since 2021. We work with the Irish FA to develop creative football-based programmes that teach children in Northern Ireland about the importance of eating healthily and how it can help them to be more active.
The ‘On the Ball’ programme allows children to see sport and health as being inseparable and is a brilliant way to establish lifelong healthy behaviours at a young age.
The programme is delivered by Irish FA Foundation coaches who have been trained by safefood and covers topics such as healthy food choices, hydration, sleep, and screen time. It is delivered through a 6-week after-schools programme, community-focused festival events and holiday camps. In 2023, the programme is set to reach more than 5000 primary school children, parents, guardians and teachers
safefood is also an official patron of the Education and Heritage Centre at the National Football Stadium at Windsor Park which delivers free workshops to visiting schools throughout the year.
If you would like any further information on the programme, please contact [email protected]
Community
Libraries Ireland
safefood in partnership with Libraries Ireland gives people struggling to be healthier access to leading health experts, as part of the ‘Healthy Ireland at Your Library’ initiative.
With almost one in three (30%) parents¹ saying it is difficult to be healthy as a family, safefood in partnership with public libraries host free parenting talks by health experts on how to make healthy, positive changes.
Libraries act as a valuable source within the community for health information. The ‘Healthy Ireland at Your Library’ service encourages people to 'Eat Well, Think Well, Be Well' and the safefood series of events fits in well with this initiative.
If you would like any further information on this event series, please contact [email protected].
¹Quantitiative survey of 800 parents for START campaign; safefood /Ipsos November 2022.
