School Food Action Group
Summary
Joanna Stokes, Senior Trading Standards Officer at Brighton and Hove City Council and former Chair of the School Food Action Group explains how the Group set up and how it has been working towards its aim of supporting and facilitating multi-agency healthy eating initiatives in schools in Brighton and Hove.
Project Name: Brighton and Hove School Food Action Group - SFAGProject Start Date: May 2003
Project Location Type: City
Project Origins and original aims/Objectives and purpose of the project: The SFAG formed as a result of the consultation exercise and conference organised by Brighton and Hove City Council and the Primary Care Trust. Over 120 local people with an interest in food attended the day, during which time they were asked to express their concerns about food in the city. It was agreed that there should be an organisation set up to represent the views held by the City about food, and the Brighton and Hove Food Partnership was formed. Another point raised was the need for the children to have access to safe nutritious food and this resulted in the formation of a working group, being part of the Brighton and Hove Food Partnership, called the School Food Action Group.
The Group at the current time is really a one-stop shop for anyone in the city wanting to find out about who does what with food and children in the city; whether it be who is the Healthy School Co-ordinator or who can advise on safe hygiene practices.
The aim of the group is:
To develop, support and facilitate multi-agency healthy eating initiatives in schools in Brighton and Hove and encourage schools to use local produce where they can.
The work of the SFAG links in with the recently published Food Strategy and Action Plan for Brighton and Hove. This in turn links with the aims of the Primary Care Trust and those of the City Council.
Organisations Involved:
The group initially consisted of 8 members, with representatives from Brighton and Hove City Council Trading Standards and Sustainability Team, local farmers, the Primary Care Trust, Health 4 All, and the Food and Health Partnership.
2 years on the group now has over 50 members, including, teachers, school governors, parents, local businesses, local growers, regional representation from the Governments free Fruit and Vegetable for
schools scheme, a representative from the School Milk Project, an Oral hygienist, a local nutritionist, a representative from the local New Deal for Communities area, community cooks, and
more representatives from several areas of the Council, including Environmental Health, Sustainability, Healthy Schools Team, and School Meal Contractors team. The group also links in with the East Sussex School Food Action team.
Target Audience:
Brighton and Hove Schools
Local Parents
Governors
Methodology:
A core group of members meet every six weeks to discuss the work they have been involved in, ideas for projects or events that the Group could do, and articles for their newsletter.
This is sent to all schools as well as libraries and other public places each term. Articles include updates of how the school menus are positively changing, examples of good practice supplied by local schools and what’s happening at a national level in school food.
Funding:
The Brighton and Hove Food Partnership receive money from the Primary Care Trust, and some of this is given to the Group to pay for the newsletter, and for supporting local not for profit companies to work in schools with children creating fun nutritious foods.
Recruitment:
The Group consists of like-minded enthusiastic people who have a passion for food and a commitment that children should have access to nutritious and healthy food, preferably from a local source. Many members of the group have direct links in their everyday work with food, whether they produce food, work with food businesses in the city, or have a role in ensuring that local communities have access to healthy foods. Many members also have direct links with schools.
Activities / Sessions:
In February 2005 a Twilight Training Event was held at a local school where presentations were given explaining, how to set up a healthy breakfast club, the meaning of the Healthy Schools status, the importance of 5 a day and the free fruit and vegetable scheme, and the role of yoga to assist teachers work with children during the school day. Alongside the presentations there were stands provided by Trading Standards and Environmental Health explaining the importance of food labels and food hygiene, Sustainability, providing advice on recycling and how to use left over fruit and vegetable peelings for compost. The main school meal provider, Scolerest explained their new menus, and local not for profit businesses displayed materials aimed at involving children in the fun side of eating healthily. The Group also provided fresh fruit kebabs, milk, water, and Fair Trade tea and coffee for their audience.
In May members of the Group also worked alongside the Police, Fire Brigade, Trading Standards, and Animal Welfare in a Safety in Action Event. This ran for a week at a local school here over 500 children visited to learn about various issues surrounding safety. Many authorities hold similar events, some calling it “Citizenship Week”, across the country but very few if any have included much information about food. The age group that attended were 11 year olds, all of which would soon be starting secondary school. It was felt important that they should have a good understanding of food issues since for the first time, many of them would be choosing their own food at the canteens, and starting to buy foods from local shops. The event was held as a carousel where small groups of children visited each stand for 10 minutes to learn about the agencies activities. At the SFAG stand the children could learn about
- The importance of 5 a day
- How to read a food label
- How to rid your hands from germs
- The balance of good health
- The importance of cleaning your teeth
- The benefits of milk
- How to make tasty nourishing smoothies
Over the next year, the Group will be involved in the Brighton and Hove Food Festival, local food markets being held at schools, and the Better School Food Conference.
Other Resources:
Many of the group members give much of their own time to the project, whilst for others it fits in well with their own agencies agenda and are able to fit it in their work time.
Sustainability:
The Group has been growing increasingly over the last 2 years and with the recent media interest in the state of children’s food in schools there is no reason for this project to come to an end. In addition to this, the work of the group has been so successful that the Primary Care Trust has put funding forward for a full time School Food Worker to be employed to link all the work of the group together and begin looking for funding opportunities for projects to be co-ordinated across the city within the City schools.
Evaluation:
There has been formal evaluation of the workshops, although not yet of the newsletter. It is intended that when the School Food Worker comes on board formal evaluations will take place.
Lessons learnt:
1. As with many projects, which link different types of organisations and people together it takes time.
2. Its important to establish at the outset the aims and objectives of the group and to return to these on a regular basis, especially since new members are joining the Group on a monthly basis.
Future Developments:
The School Food Action Group aims to have a database of all those within the city who have a role within school food. With the help of the School Food Worker, it is also hoped that funds can be raised to pay for projects to take place in schools relating to healthy eating, and also to help promote good practice initiatives across the City.
Updated August 2007
If you would like to find out more about the work of the School Food Action Group please feel free to contact the current chair at:
Name: Lesley Potter
Job Title: School Foods Advisor
Organisation: BH PCT
Address:
Health Promotion
Prestamex House
171 - 173 Preston Road
Brighton BN1 6AG
Phone No: 01273 545408
Email: lesley.potter@bhcpct.nhs.uk
Website – www.bhfood.org.uk