Creating a Sustainable Food System in Brighton and Hove Clare Devereux, Food Matters

Creating a Sustainable Food System in Brighton and Hove

Clare Devereux, Food MattersVic Borrill, B & H Food Partnership

Brighton and Hove

Sustainable Cities, Oct 2011

• Falls in the 25% most deprived LAs• Health generally worse than the national average• A quarter of all children live in low income households• Population is more likely than average to experience mental health problems• Wage level below the national average • 8 million visitors a year• 400 cafes and restaurants• Positioned between the sea and the downs• City Council owns 11,000 acres of farmland

Putting food on the agenda


• History of community food work• In 2003 mapping exercise to see what was happening – food shed• First ‘spade to spoon’ conference• Vision, aims and establishment of food partnership• Spade to spoon strategy• Service level agreement with the PCT• Harvest B & H• Strategic policy work

Ingredients for success


• PCT that recognised the wider determinants of health – supported development of FP/Strategy

• ‘champions’ within local authority – elected member and officer(s)• Rooted in the community – residents and groups• Secure funding base from service level agreement• NGO organisation to offer expertise, support and facilitation• Lobbying for policy change to support food work – being a ‘thorn in the side’• Isn’t enough to just deliver – need more root and branch policy

The Brighton & Hove model of a Food Partnership


• BHFP not for profit / politically neutral. Company limited by guarantee• Remit – healthy and sustainable food• Driving forward delivery of the city’s food strategy• Combined role of influencing / lobbying, capacity building, supporting

networking and service delivery• Broad membership base – 740 individuals and organisations• Board of directors elected from the membership / by the membership. Plus

appointed members from key statutory services and Food Matters.• Funded via grants from NHS Brighton & Hove & BHCC, Big Lottery Local Food

and various trusts.

Delivering high quality services


• Community Nutrition Service / Healthy Weight referral service • Community Cookery Project• Harvest Brighton & Hove• Love Food: Hate Waste Community outreach programme• Information - website, City Food News, events, stalls

• Service delivery keeps us connected with residents and grounded in the issues of the city

• Provides funding• Complexity can be challenging but reflects the reality of food work

Linking themes and agendas


Supporting partnership working


• Provide networking opportunities• Knowledge hub• Targeting services • Replicating what works• Seek funding for partnership work eg Harvest Brighton & Hove

• Size of Brighton & Hove makes this possible• Getting harder as services get squeezed

Keeping food on the agenda locally


• City wide partnerships• Responding to consultations• Political lobbying – Ask Your Candidate exercise prior to local elections• Championing community food projects• Fostering ‘champions’ within other organisations• Independent but work hard at productive relationships with partners• Work with all political parties• Careful balance between campaigning and sources of funding• Takes time • Willingness to be opportunistic

Key issues


• Need for strategic framework for food work locally

• Can’t do it alone – need Government to also have strategic framework

• Research agenda to support sustainable food work

Next steps – getting serious


• Need to move into next phase – more focused action to achieve maximum gain• How to feed a city• Increase amount of sustainable food produced in the city• Opportunities• ‘green administration’• City owned farms• Public procurement

www.bhfood.org.ukwww.foodmatters.org

Thank you


http://www.bhfood.org.uk/

http://www.foodmatters.org/

Documents

Creating a Sustainable Food System in Brighton and Hove Clare Devereux, Food Matters