Gloucestershire Food Vision

• Establish Gloucestershire as a Food Action Zone.
• Establish an informed Gloucestershire community in relation to healthier, safe and affordable food.
• Enable wider access to healthier, safe and affordable food for all.
• Expand and enhance efficiency within food buying networks and improve the standards and choice of the food available. 
• Reduce the incidence of food-borne disease. 
• Reduce the levels of food related health conditions. 
• Raise the profile and value of careers in the food chain. 
• Secure the long-term profitability of food-related business in Gloucestershire.

GFV provides the focal point for all food activity in the county, to ensure that all food related initiatives, projects and programmes link to deliver the outcomes. It works with all partners, whether public, private or voluntary to ensure an integrated approach.

GFV is owned by the GSP, but it is the County’s Economic Partnership, Gloucestershire First that is managing the further development and implementation. In order to make the Vision happen it requires all the following to take their part:

• Gloucestershire’s people.
• Gloucestershire’s food and drink industry. 
• Gloucestershire’s hospitality and tourism businesses. 
• Gloucestershire’s health and education teams. 
• Gloucestershire’s economic experts. 
• Gloucestershire’s environmental experts. 
• Goucestershire’s enforcement teams. 
• Gloucestershire’s policy makers. 
• Scientific experts. 
• Partners across the South West, UK, Europe and globally. 
   

The team works with partners across the public, private and voluntary sectors to develop policy, strategy and initiatives that will help meet the long term policy aims of the GFV.
The work involves lobbying at national and regional level, and developing programmes, projects and partnerships.  This has led to an additional £4.5million of activity in the county since GFV began.

Information on particular projects and reports on the work of GFV can be found at   www.gloucestershirefoodvision.com

Funding for GFV team comes via the Gloucestershire Strategic Partnership, including the County Council and a full time secondment from NHS Gloucestershire. Additional public and private funds have resourced the delivery of the GFV as a whole. These include Kraft Cares, Food Standards Agency, Learning Skills Council, Shell Technology Experience Programme, Rural Renaissance, NHS Gloucestershire, Defra and the Department of Health: Added Value for Producers. In the future, it is hoped that some regional funding will provide additional funding, and/or secondment to the team.

The GFV team evaluate progress by producing an annual report each year to highlight the progress.  There is also much more to do in setting up better evaluation around food related projects, and we work with partners to ensure that better evaluation is carried out in projects that we support. This is essential to give a much stronger evidence base to base future work.

There have been many financial constraints, some of which have been overcome by the County Council, FSA, LSC and private industry. Waiting for policy makers and budget holders can be frustrating and time consuming. The amount and time and resource required to deliver some of the actions is considerable. It has to be about partnership working, but it is vitally important to get funders and funding streams on board at an early stage.

Name: Adrian Jevans

Phone: 07889411277

Email: ade@visioncic.com

Website:   www.visioncic.com

Organisation Name: Gloucestershire Food Vision

Address: Chargrove Business Centre, Main Road, Shurdington, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire GL51 4GA