Chief Medical Officer launches programme to tackle food poverty
Wednesday, 27 January 2010Northern Ireland’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr Michael McBride today launched a Demonstration Programme of Community Food Initiatives(CFI), funded by 'safefood', aimed at promoting greater access to healthy food in low income areas.
The initiatives, the first of their kind in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, are practical programmes to help address inequalities in access to healthy diets and overcome some of the problems faced by certain communities in accessing healthy and affordable food.
Dr Michael McBride said: "I welcome the opportunity to launch the Community Food Initiatives today. These projects are excellent examples of local communities working together to develop solutions that will improve health and tackle inequalities.
"In reforming our system of health and social care, the Minister has put public health centre stage and one of our aims is to ensure positive action at a local level. While we have made significant progress in recent years, health inequalities persist. Many communities find it difficult to access foods that are of high quality and available at affordable prices.
"This is where the Community Food Initiatives come into play and can make a real difference. They can help communities and individuals to overcome these problems, while educating people about the importance of maintaining a well-balanced and nutritious diet."
One example of an initiative receiving funding includes Belfast’s Footprints Women’s Centre ‘Building a Transition Community Initiative Project’, which will see a group of 50 adults and children developing the land at the Centre, growing fruit and vegetables and using this supply of food within the Centre’s catering services
Martin Higgins, Chief Executive of 'safefood' said: "Food poverty is a complex issue and requires a variety of approaches in combating it. One of these is to support Community Food Initiatives, and this will be provided through a programme approach that encourages recipients to commit to shared learning and networking between each of the projects. The ability to identify the support and resources necessary for the delivery of successful and sustainable CFI's is fundamental in establishing a best practice framework and identifying implications for future policy development in this area."
As well as improving long term health, Community Food Initiatives can create employment, build bridges between communities, increase pride in the community and create greater social inclusion.
The CFI's will be managed at a local level by Healthy Food for All, an all-island multi-agency initiative seeking to promote healthy food for low-income groups. Ms Marjo Moonen, Chair of Healthy Food for All, explained: "The core aim of our work is to end food poverty on the island of Ireland. As such, it is vitally important that we help make these community food initiatives work locally. We understand the common issues that these seven projects face and can draw on our expertise, from our wide network base, to assist them. We want to use these Community Food Initiatives to inform future developments."
Each Community Food Initiative will receive funding annually over a period of three years to set up, manage and sustain their project with 'safefood' investing up to £70,000 per project.
The recipients of the Community Food Initiative Funding are:
- East Belfast Healthy Eating Education Programme
- Footprints Women’s Centre Building a Transition Community (Belfast)
- Food for Life (Derry)
- KASI Community Garden (Killarney)
- The Food Garden Project (Dundalk)
- Limerick Seed to Plate Project
- Food Focus Community Food Initiative (Cork)
Notes to editors:
1. Media enquiries to the DHSSPS Press Office on 028 9052 0571. Out of office hours please contact the Duty Press Officer via pager number 07699 715 440 and your call will be returned.
2. 'safefood' was established in 1999 as one of the North-South Implementation Bodies. 'safefood' is jointly funded by the DHSSPS in Northern Ireland and the Department of Health and Children in the Republic of Ireland
3. Food Poverty:
- Socially disadvantaged groups eat less well compared to socially advantaged groups; have difficulties accessing a variety of nutritionally balanced good quality and affordable foodstuffs; spend relatively more money on food; and know what is healthy but are restricted physically and mentally by a lack of financial resources (Friel and Conlon 2004).
- 29.6% of NI’s population was living in poverty in 2002/3 ~ 185,500 households of over half a million people, of which almost 150,000 are children (OFMDFM 2007 in PHA 2007)
- 8% of children in Northern Ireland are extremely poor (Save the Children 2010)
4. Overweight and obesity in NI:
- In 2003/2004, approximately one in five boys and one in four girls in Northern Ireland were overweight or obese in primary one, age 4½ – 5½ years according to analysis of the Child Health System records (DHSSPS 2006)
- 9% of adults measured in the Northern Ireland Health and Social Wellbeing Survey 2005/06 were either overweight (35%) or obese (24%) (NISRA Health and Social Wellbeing Survey 2005-06).
5. More information on Healthy Food for All can be found online
6. Background on the Community Food Initiatives that will receive funding:
East Belfast Healthy Eating Education Programme
The aim of the East Belfast Mission Healthy Eating Education Community Food Initiative is to provide healthy nutritious food for residents and ex-residents of their homeless shelter. This project will also provide health and diet sessions and cookery demonstrations to residents and ex residents on how to plan and prepare healthy food on a low budget. Information and advice sessions will also be provided for local residents, senior citizens and users of their family and community programmes giving advice and support on how to prepare and cook healthy meals on a low income.
Footprints Women’s Centre Building a Transition Community
The Building a Transition Community Initiative will oversee the development of the grounds at Footprints Women’s centre and will offer food growing training to local residents who will be encouraged to volunteer in the garden. A local gardener will be hired and will oversee the development and training of the volunteers. The project will grow fruit and vegetables within the grounds of Footprints Women’s Centre and this produce will be used within the Footprints Catering Services. Any supplies surplus to requirements will be used in schools in the neighbourhood.
Food for Life
The Bogside & Brandywell Health Forum (Healthy Living Centre) has endeavoured to develop, organise & deliver a range of healthy eating programmes including demonstration and practical cooking activities as well as education based activities and information. It will bring together a range of community and statutory workers who are tasked with the improvement of health within the local community. They will provide a range of programmes and activities that will provide knowledge and practical skills in the preparation of a healthy diet.
Community Garden Killarney Asylum Seekers Initiative (KASI)
Killarney Asylum Seekers Initiative is developing a community garden on the outskirts of Killarney town. It will provide a ‘social space’ that will help facilitate interaction between the target groups and local communities, in a very holistic and ‘organic’ manner, of working together, sharing and exchanging ideas, skills, crops, food and culture. Training will also be provided in gardening, healthy eating on a budget and nutrition (incorporating language training support for participants with very little English).
The Food Garden Project (Dundalk)
The Food Garden Project is developing a community garden. Its aim is to support very marginalised and vulnerable individuals to grow, prepare and cook a range of healthy organic fruit and vegetables throughout the year. There is an emphasis on transferring these skills to their home life. A support worker and a cookery instructor will be employed to assist the participants in learning how to grow produce and prepare healthy meals using the food products harvested from their community garden.
Limerick Seed to Plate Project
The Limerick Seed to Plate community food initiative will employ 2 gardeners, one in each community, to develop their gardens further. There is a strong educational emphasis to the project and it is intended that the learning at the community gardens will be transferred to participants own homes and lifestyles. Southill has a newly opened community café and the food grown in their garden will be showcased and cooked in the centre and café. The project will also result in increased long term health benefits arising from a healthier lifestyle.
Food Focus Knocknaheeny Community Food Initiative
The Food Focus Community Food Initiative plans to promote healthy eating through a variety of co-ordinated, strategic activities that offer people a way to engage in a positive approach to food. It aims to create one community, one message about healthy eating and ensure the ability to achieve a healthy diet through building a variety of sustainable, engaging food activities. Food Focus will be a set of community based structures dedicated to addressing the risk and instances of food poverty in the Knocknaheeny area.
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