The Little Food Festival is Australia’s first food festival created especially for kids — a free community event designed to promote health, wellbeing and food system education through fun and play. Held at Fed Square in the heart (or belly) of Melbourne on 15–16 April, the festival is now in its eighth year.
“Events like the Little Food Festival show how impactful early, positive experiences with vegetables can be,” said Param Turna, Client Manager at Rijk Zwaan Australia. “When children are engaged in a fun, hands-on way, it helps build lasting connections with vegetables.”
At a time when vegetable consumption remains below recommended levels, initiatives like the Little Food Festival and Veggies First play an important role in breaking down barriers early. By giving children the opportunity to explore, taste and interact with vegetables in a relaxed environment, the festival builds familiarity and confidence — key drivers of long-term behaviour change.
Increasing vegetable consumption is not only critical for improving public health outcomes, but also for supporting the long-term sustainability of Australia’s horticulture industry, strengthening demand for fresh produce and the growers who supply it.
The two-day program was packed with free activities, including planting seedlings, racing from seed to plate, creating veggie creatures and tasting fresh produce at the the Little Food Market.
The festival also brought together a range of like-minded partners, including Stephanie Alexander's Kitchen Garden, Alice Zaslavsky, Costa Georgiadis, Thanh (The Fruit Nerd) Truong - offering engaging experiences for both kids and adults through interactive activities and live performances.