The draft Good Food for All 2019-22 Strategy outlines how Ballarat City Council can positively influence the food environment.
The draft strategy will be on the agenda at the May 15 Council Meeting, with the recommendation to place it on public exhibition for one month.
The draft strategy outlines the main issues facing the community in relation to the food system and details a series of actions over the next four years.
Main issues with the current food system include:
- Processed foods with less nutritional value are most readily available
- Encourages people to consume ready prepared meals without developing the skills required to grow or prepare foods
- Contributes to significant physical and mental health issues
- Contributes to high levels of preventable chronic disease, with two in every three adults and at least one quarter of children overweight or obese
- High levels of food insecurity, with a recent analysis of welfare agencies showing 12 per cent of people in Ballarat had accessed emergency food relief at least once over a 12-month period
- A third of household waste is attributed to food, which has been estimated to cost households over $2000 per year
The food system includes all aspects of producing, transporting, processing, retailing and consuming food, plus disposing of food and packaging waste.
The draft Good Food for All 2019-22 Strategy has three main priorities which include:
- Increasing access to and promotion of safe and nutritious food through greater consumption of healthy food and drinks, improving community knowledge and skills to grow and prepare healthy meals, and supporting community food system programs
- Supporting a sustainable local food system through reducing food and packaging waste and supporting local food production and sales
- Celebrating a vibrant, inclusive food culture which supports and promotes local producers
Good Food for All 2019-22 was developed following a long period of consultation from June to December 2018.
