The 2026 iteration of the annual Caribbean Food Forum has wrapped up, with industry leaders leaving the event with a renewed focus on elevating local food production, deepening cross-regional cooperation, and directing targeted investment into Caribbean coastal and island communities. Donyelle Bird-Browne, an official with the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority, shared key takeaways from the gathering in a post-forum briefing, framing the regional food scene as far more than a collection of iconic dishes. For the Caribbean, she emphasized, local food is a living expression of the region’s shared cultural heritage, collective identity, remarkable community resilience, growing entrepreneurial spirit, and ongoing commitment to environmental sustainability.
Centered on the 2026 theme “The Future Is Local: Caribbean Food at the Crossroads of Global Impact,” the three-day forum drew a diverse cross-section of food system stakeholders from across the Caribbean and international partners beyond the region. Attendees ranged from independent small-scale farmers and artisanal fishers to award-winning local chefs, small business entrepreneurs, senior tourism industry leaders, university students studying agribusiness and hospitality, and regional policymakers tasked with shaping food security and economic development strategy.
Across plenary sessions, breakout working groups, and networking events, participants exchanged actionable insights, forged new cross-sector partnerships, and opened sustained dialogue around two core priorities: the long-term evolution of the Caribbean’s food industry, and its outsize role in driving inclusive, sustainable economic growth across the region’s small island developing states. Bird-Browne struck an optimistic tone in her closing remarks, noting “The future is local, and the future of Caribbean food is bright.”
One of the gathering’s most consistent key messages, Bird-Browne explained, was the urgent need for continued targeted investment in four foundational pillars of Caribbean food: the people who grow, prepare, and sell local food, the one-of-a-kind products they create, the rich cultural stories tied to Caribbean culinary traditions, and the rural and coastal communities that sustain the regional food system. Parallel to that investment push, attendees also highlighted the critical importance of strengthening existing cross-border connections between producers, businesses, and tourism organizations across the Caribbean to unlock shared growth.
In closing, Bird-Browne extended formal gratitude to all participants, corporate sponsors, and organizational partners that contributed to what she described as a deeply meaningful and memorable gathering. She made special note of the contributions of keynote speaker Dona Regis-Prosper, Secretary-General and Chief Executive Officer of the Caribbean Tourism Organization, praising Regis-Prosper’s proven regional leadership and insightful input that enriched all forum discussions.
Looking ahead, the conversations sparked at the 2026 forum will continue through working groups and collaborative initiatives in the months leading up to the next gathering, scheduled for 2027. The Caribbean Food Forum is a core annual event tied to Antigua and Barbuda’s national Culinary Month, with a core mission to promote Caribbean culinary heritage, support local agriculture, boost culinary tourism, and nurture ongoing collaboration between food and tourism stakeholders across the entire region.