Warwickshire Food for Health
1. Introduction
What is a food strategy?
Many individuals, groups and organisations have an interest in food health. A strategy pulls together the thinking, research, good practice and action around this topic to make more efficient use of participants’ skills and time.
Warwickshire Food for health
The food strategy was developed in Warwickshire to help individuals and groups improve their health through increased awareness and knowledge, and improved availability of safe and healthy food. Its aim was to help people improve their food intake through awareness and knowledge of the components of a nutritious diet, weight control, safety and quality of food and food choice. As well as increasing awareness of food and health messages, the strategy seeks to help organisations put them into practice.
The Warwickshire strategy also needed to fit in with evolving structures such as Local Strategic Partnerships and changes in both local government and the NHS. In order to achieve the aims of the strategy, existing activity needed to be co-ordinated and effective. The strategy also needed to fit in with evolving structures such as Local Strategic Partnerships and changes in both local government and the NHS.
The strategy "Food for Health" is multifaceted and focuses on legislation, enforcement, access to and availability of health food, skill development and information. It covers a wide range of themes those being: -
- Healthy eating
- Food Hygiene
- Labelling
- Food Safety
- Oral Health
- Sustainable Food Choices
- Balanced Diets
- Healthy Catering
- Cooking Skills
- Complying with Food Legislation
- Food Availability
- Cost of Foods
- Recycling
- Food Co-ops
- Food Miles
- Cook and Eat training classes
- Food Awards
- Food Production
- Weight Control
- Growing Food
The initiative aims to develop projects around each of these themes, further detail is available in the strategy as download 1 of this case study.
The food that an individual eats is not just a result of personal choice, but is also affected by circumstances such as income, housing conditions and access to affordable healthy food. For this reason, there is particular concern about people living in areas of socio-economic deprivation. Access to healthy food should be a right for all the population.
The strategy aims to also focus on the specific needs of young people, frail older adults and people from minority ethnic groups, as poor food choices have a greater impact on these people due to their increased health risks.
Many people are aware of the messages concerning food and health but have difficulty following them. Skill development, education and training are important. The strategy also focuses on legislation, enforcement, access, affordability, and availability of healthy food.
2. Aims and Objectives
A multi-agency group was set up in October 2001 ‘to increase awareness of the relationship between food and health and to positively promote a pattern of healthy eating’. Ultimately the goal is to enhance the health status of the people of Warwickshire.
The Warwickshire Food for Health Group wants to: -
- Encourage positive attitudes to food for health.
- Increase knowledge of current food related messages among local people, food retailers, manufacturers, caterers and educators.
- Encourage partnerships where local communities work with professionals and retailers to improve access to and availability of food.
- Strengthen links between groups to develop a co-ordinated approach to food and health across Warwickshire. Developing contacts with relevant statutory and voluntary bodies, and supporting them in the development of food and health initiatives and campaigns.
- Assist in the development and coordination of appropriate training programmes for those involved in promoting food and health. The aim is to improve local skills.
- Consider ways to broaden communication of food and health messages to the general public.
- Raise awareness of ‘local food for local people’.
The following are the target groups and aims: -
- People living in circumstances of relative socio-economic deprivation: to improve choice and availability of low cost food.
- Young people: to positively promote a healthy diet to improve health.
- Older people (of which Warwickshire has a high percentage of): to reduce costs of care if these people become more dependent.
- General population: to improve cooking skills so that people do not remain too reliant on convenience foods.
The various initiatives are broadly classified as follows: -
Balanced Diet
- Age Concern Luncheon Clubs
- Heart Award Scheme
- Young at Heart-special Heartbeat award for premises caring for older people
- Cook and Eat Sessions in Leamington Spa
- Fit Kiwi’s in Nuneaton (Kids in Warwickshire initiative)
- Meals on Wheels
- Healthy Eating Policy for health services in South Warwickshire
- Tuck Shop Award
- Production of Food Safety video for school children
- Heartbeat Award Scheme
- Food Hygiene Training
- Drama into education for national food safety week (Stratford)
- Food Safety Week – quizzes, gifts and information (Rugby)
- Healthy Eating Policy for health services in South Warwickshire
- Safe Food Awards
- Warwickshire Farmers Market
- Audit of Food and Health Claims
- Quality standards for healthy eating in schools
- Fresh Food Festival run by Warwick’s Agenda 21 Food Group
- Nutritional Support Policy (All NHS Trusts)
- Nutritional Standards for school lunches
- Healthy Eating Policy for health services in South Warwickshire
Large Projects Identified
- Healthy Eating Quality Standards For Schools
- Warwickshire Health Promoting Schools Scheme including food and nutrition National Schools Fruit Scheme
- Scheme for Catering Outlets – Heartbeat Award and Local Council’s Safe Food Schemes.
3. Participants
NHS in Warwickshire (including Public Health, Dietetics, Health Promotion),
Warwickshire County Council (including County Caterers, Education, Trading Standards, Economic Development), Four District and Borough Councils (Warwick DC, Stratford on Avon DC, Rugby BC and Nuneaton and Bedworth BC).
The Group has members and contacts from South and North Warwickshire Dietetic Service, Warwickshire Specialist Health and Promotion Service, Warwickshire CC, Bath Place Community Venture, Warwick DC, Warwickshire Health Authority, Warwickshire Food Liaison Group, County Caterers, Rugby BC, Stratford-upon-Avon DC.
4. Methodology
The strategy encourages partnerships where local communities work with professionals and retailers to improve access to and availability of food.
It sought to also formulise casual links to make the Group more credible. The strategy has also increased knowledge of where relevant information sources are facilitating more effective coordination.
The Group has found it beneficial to have static key group members.
A small group of officers carried out the initial writing up of the food strategy and this included: -
- Community Dietician
- Health Improvement Officer – Stratford & Warwick District Councils
- Health Authority Representative
- Representative from Warwickshire County Caterers
- Environmental Health Officer from Warwick DC
- Trading Standards Officer from Warwickshire CC
The partners are working together to deliver on an action plan which identifies all relevant work being proposed. The action plan is updated regularly. Warwickshire Food For Health Group coordinated the bringing together of the action plan. This details what the various organisations often working with partners have committed to do.
Officers spent up to a couple of hours a week when they were compiling and completing the original strategy and action plan.
The main Group plans to meet four times a year, the meetings are based around the action plan. These meetings are booked a year in advance.
There are two sub groups looking at the Heart Beat Award and 5 a-day initiatives.
The Food Strategy has enabled informal contacts between food and health professionals become formalised through the action plan.
The Food Strategy is now mentioned in the partners respective service plans.
5. Evaluation
Participants are planning an event to review the strategy and action plan. The evaluation report is included as Download 4 to this case study.
6. Resources
No extra funding has been received for the strategy. However, individual partners would have undertaken much of the work, but elements would have been fragmented. The partners contribute officer time and facilitate meetings.
7. Obstacles
- No extra funding
- Difficulties when different authorities cannot agree about project work
- "Doers" put off by discussion of strategy
- Difficulty in getting members to formally report back on progress/success
- Few examples of holistic approaches to food and health to follow
- Difficulties in involving local people in the project
8. Lessons Learned
- These will be discussed during a seminar to promote the achievements of the Food Strategy Group on the 3 October 2003.
- Sustainability of the project is currently being considered.
- Could be established by other counties as no funding is needed just release of officer time and a commitment to the Food Strategy and the Food Action Plan.
9. Special Circumstances
Project carried out in an area of relative affluence with only one or two pockets of deprivation that receive funding such as Sure Start.
10. Contacts
Details of contacts to discuss this case study further are available within the strategy document available to download below.
Other Resources:
- Download 1: Food for Health: Warwickshire Food Strategy
- Download 2: Strategy Appendices
- Download 3: Strategy Action Plan
- Download 4: Evaluation of the Action plan 2003
- Download 5: Flyer for the evaluation seminar.