Matt Moncrieff is an Urban List guest editor and a highly regarded Yamatji cook hailing from Kuwinyuwardu (Carnarvon), Western Australia. An accomplished My Kitchen Rules semi-finalist, Matt's recent groundbreaking petition, aimed at introducing native ingredients into mainstream supermarkets, garnered overwhelming support with nearly 12,000 signatures.
In a world where big corporations call the shots and profits reign supreme, there is something pretty deadly about us regular mob making some big noise.
My journey began showcasing native ingredients on Channel 7’s My Kitchen Rules, the first team in the show’s 15 year history to proudly feature native Australian Ingredients—15 years overdue if you ask me.
Sourcing food for my menu on the show was an insanely difficult task, almost all of the other teams could just pop down to Coles or Woolworths and get the job done. Not so easy for me, I had to forage, order well in advance and sometimes even source from Asian supermarkets.
Who would have thought that one would need to source native Australian produce from an international market?
That is where my quest began. I decided then and there that it was time to reclaim the rightful place of our native foods, the original bounty of this Country, and drive them into the modern Australian pantry. Imagine—traditional Indigenous grub (pun intended) on the shelves at our local supermarkets, next to the regular stuff. We celebrate other countries and cultures with dedicated aisles, where are our native foods?
That’s when I started my petition #NativeIngredientsInSupermarkets. Thousands of signatures later, it was clear that folks were hungry for change, and they wanted to see our native foods in the spotlight and on supermarket shelves.
We have over 6500 recorded native bush foods and botanicals, literally growing right on our doorstep, these aren't just kangaroo, emu, and the obvious ones but incredible fruits, nuts, seeds and spices.
While one major supermarket was playing hardball (in which they asked me to take the petition down), Woolworths, quite literally, stepped up to the plate. They flew me to their head office in Sydney to present to their entire product development team. Woolworths was totally open to the idea of shaking things up and giving Indigenous bush foods and botanicals a fair go.
My pitch wasn't just about the food; it was about bridging cultures and bringing something new and exciting to all our tables. Woolworths saw the potential, and they weren't afraid to have these conversations—not only did they talk the talk but they walked the walk, becoming a major sponsor of this years’ ‘First Nations Bush Foods and Botanicals Symposium’ on Larrakia Country in Darwin. They met with First Nations elders, First Nations businesses and community leaders; and listened to our hopes that bush foods and botanicals could one day be available in supermarkets in this country.
So, what's the deal with Indigenous foods, you ask? Well, it's not just about what goes in our grocery bags, it's about educating, recognising and celebrating the rich heritage of First Nations people and Culture.
It's a tasty way of saying "let's appreciate and share the goodness that's been right under our noses” and this must be done with First Nations folk leading the way to ensure our cultural integrity and our cultural protocols are respected.
In the grand scheme of things, my journey from ‘petition to pantry’ isn't just about filling supermarket shelves; it's about filling the gap between cultures and showing that Indigenous foods deserve a spotlight.
Read on for why disability representation is so important.
Image credit: Matt Moncrief | Supplied