Bradford District Food Strategy

The Bradford District Food Strategy has been drafted by partnership who are currently working on developing a partnership agreement with Bradford City Council.

1. Introduction

This food strategy has been drawn up by the Bradford Food Network, which represents local agencies, organisations and projects leading on food issues across the area. The purpose of the strategy is to provide a focus for disparate pieces of work and to encourage partner agencies to incorporate projects that address some of the adverse food and health issues facing local residents. The Strategy provides:

a) Information on the Bradford Food Network and sets out the Bradford District Food Charter 2001, which was launched by the Health Action Zone and provides a set of principles including a reiteration of all people's right to access safe and nutritious food.

b) Explains that a food strategy is needed to promote environmental sustainability within the local food system and address diet related ill health by promoting access to good quality, affordable food.

c) Five key objectives and outlines potential activities at Primary Care Trust and district levels:

To maximise equitable access to the affordable, available, safe provision of healthy foods

To increase the level of knowledge, skill and awareness of the links between food and health within the whole population

To develop capacity within the public sector for maintaining nutritional health

To support sustainable strategic development locally, regionally, nationally and internationally

To develop a sustainable local food supply chain by connecting urban and rural regeneration

d) An implementation analysis outlining local strengths, threats, weaknesses and opportunities.

e) The national and local policy context of the strategy.

2. Current Status with regard local authority involvement

The Health Improvement Forum authorised the Bradford and Airedale Food Strategy and proposed ‘food and nutrition’ as a key theme for the district Strategic Health Improvement Forum. The SHIP duly signed up to four themes for the year 2004 /5 with food and nutrition (focusing on children and young people) as one of them.

Quarterly progress reports are presented at SHIP meetings with requests from partner members for support where needed. There is no direct performance management of the Food Strategy except where there is an overlap of targets with existing delivery plans from partner organisations. For example, NHS Primary Care Trust (PCT) Local Delivery Plans (LDP) and NHS Foundation Hospital targets. The Bradford District Local Area Agreement lists the Food Strategy as one of its supporting strategies.

Successful partnership working has enabled the following:

All four Bradford PCTs fund either a food and health development worker, a community dietitian and or both. There is district-wide access to the Bradford Food Network and a wide range of community food projects are underway to improve people’s access to affordable, healthy food.

Work is underway in partnership with the Regeneration department of Bradford Council to develop an award system for organisations and businesses that demonstrate application of all or part of the Bradford District Food Charter. This is designed to raise food standards in line with the principles of the Food Charter and to encourage cultural change within local food systems.

The major contract school meals provider has increased the quantity of locally sourced food and revised its menus to improve the nutritional content on paper.

The Asset Management Transfer Team of the Council have included members of the Bradford Food Network within the evaluation of preferred bidders to take on the contract for managing building and hospitality within Council owned buildings (including school meals).

The major gaps in implementation – mainly through lack of overlap with mainstream priorities – are within objective 3 : To develop capacity within the public sector for maintaining nutritional health.

3. Methodology

A review of the Bradford Food Strategy is planned to incorporate the targets from the White Paper - Choosing Health: making healthier choices easier and Choosing Health, Choosing a Better Diet : Food and Health Action Plan. From this we can ensure our objectives are incorporated into forthcoming LDP’s for PCTs.

4. Future Work

To continue to engage partners within the process of taking responsibility for food and health developments within their organisation.

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Other Resources:

Download: 1 Bradford District Food Strategy [DRAFT]

This project has now completed and remains on the Food Vision site as an example of a great food project, the project team can no longer be contacted.