Council may be set to consider re-issuing hampers as gifts, after one councillor argued businesses whose goods were associated with the hampers were “aggrieved” by the lack of promotion.
Hampers were a topic included as part of the Independent Unionist councillor Paul Berry’s discussion on what could be done to help improve and support the Food Heartland moving forward.
The Alderman raised a proposal to see improved promotion of the Food Heartland, business and their products before a full meeting of ABC council on Monday (August 24).
Alderman Berry passionately praised Director of Development & Community Wellbeing, Paul Tamati and his team for the work they put in, but said after speaking to businesses who attend shows such as Balmoral, Armagh and Lurgan, that there was a general feeling that the “edge has gone off from promotion” recently.
Moving onto his second point, the Alderman explained that in April of this year a report had been issued in relation to hampers and he felt it was something members should look into again.
Referring to an article on the subject, Berry said: “There was some misleading journalism in one of the papers in relation to hampers. The report received covered over 2021 – 2025 in relation to Lord Mayors and Deputy Lord Mayors that handed them out, there was also staff recognition events of hampers.”
However, Alderman Berry is in full support of hampers making a comeback in Council.
Outlining his rationale for this, he explained: “From the businesses that I spoke to, they were greatly aggrieved, because they found it a benefit.
“Some of those hampers, believe it or not, went to some very influential people who are still ordering from them – who live not in Northern Ireland – but who are buying their products as a result of receiving such gifts.”
He said it was “absolutely brilliant” to see the business benefit from the hampers and argued that it “would be nice to get that report brought back onto the table”.
While the Alderman was supportive of the concept, he did caveat, “like everything has to be done right, and to date it has been done right.”
Paul Tamati said his team had already agreed to bring a report back about “a bit of a reset for Food Heartland moving forward” and on the topic of hampers, added, “if the member is wanting to pursue Food Heartland products as gifts, that’s probably a discussion we are happy to have. If there is council approval around such matters then I think that is something we are happy to progress.”
Providing some brief statistics, Alderman Berry said over the past five years (201 – 2025) 129 hampers have “gone out from the Deputy Lord Mayor’s offices”.
However, DUP Alderman Baxter disputed the stats, saying: “129 hampers, that’s actually not the case. I think there was an audit report to say that most of them didn’t come from the Lord Mayor’s office, we don’t even know where they came from but it was just to make that point. I think that was misinformation that is now in the public domain so I don’t know if you want to retract that or if we can get the right information?”
Alderman Baxter said it was also his understanding it is still part of an audit review and will no doubt come back to the floor.
Alderman Berry returned on that point: “Just to clarify, it’s not misinformation. It’s a report that I have. It’s dated April 2026 about expenditure and coding. There were 129 hampers issued over a five year period. 74 were Food Heartland, 55 were other hampers issued.”
He requested the information within the report be recirculated among members “so they have the facts in front of them”.
And, closed by adding: “The fact is we are now having staff recognition events, 100th birthday parties… showcasing local products and the question is how we do that and I would just like a paper brught to Economic Development and that would be most helpful.”
