Introduction
Everyone in Cumberland has a right to good food. Food is at the heart of some the biggest public health challenges in the UK, from obesity and diet-related ill-health to food poverty and waste, climate change and biodiversity loss to declining prosperity and social dislocation. Therefore, action to improve our diets and the local food system has the potential to significantly improve the health and wellbeing of our communities.
From a policy perspective, the National Food Strategy provides analysis of the UK food system, outlining problems within the system which affect our health and that of the planet, and provides recommendations for intervention to prevent further harm. These include:
- Escape the junk food cycle and protect the NHS
- Reduce diet-related inequality
- Make the best use of our land
- Create a long-term shift in our food culture
A transition to a healthy, sustainable and more equitable food system requires not only strong national policy, but also collaborative action between governmental policy makers, businesses and society at a local level.
The Right to Food motion was passed by the Shadow Executive for Cumberland Council in 2022, making clear the Council’s intention to have the health and wellbeing of all residents at the heart of everything it does. This means that residents should have adequate food, which is accessible and available, and they should have dignity, choice, and the resources to access and cook good food.
The Cumbria Joint Public Health Strategy sets out a vision for a healthier Cumbria. Building a sustainable food system supports the achievement of the following key aims:
- To protect and enhance Cumbria’s green and blue spaces, ensuring that everyone has good access to a high-quality natural environment.
- To promote biodiversity through protection and enhancement of a wide variety of wildlife habitats.
- To become a “carbon neutral” County and to mitigate the likely impact of existing climate change.
- To improve air quality through action on transport, industrial, agricultural, and domestic emissions.
- To reduce the amount of waste produced through reduced material use, promoting greater product re-use, and improving recycling rates.
- To ensure that planning authorities develop and implement policy in support of this strategy, including focusing on active transport, green space, quality housing, availability of healthy food, carbon reduction and creation of employment opportunities.
- To promote a vibrant and diverse food economy, with local communities having access to a range of healthy and affordable food options, and to reduce waste and the ecological footprint of the local food system.
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Sustainable Food Places is a partnership programme led by the Soil Association, Food Matters and Sustain: the alliance for better food and farming. It has a national network of over 90 food partnerships which are driving innovation and best practice on all aspects of healthy and sustainable food. Food Carlisle was a founding member of this network which was initiated in 2013. It received funding from the Esme Fairbairn Foundation and the National Lottery Community Fund to support its work, with match funding provided by Carlisle City Council.
Given the increasing challenges which communities face today and the commitments to health and wellbeing by Cumberland Council, Food Carlisle needs to expand across the new Cumberland footprint. Going forward, the partnership will be known as Food Cumberland, and will connect people across the local food system by supporting and developing food projects with and for communities in addition to helping partners with their food-related work. The Right to Food motion also underpins this work. All projects will adopt a “test and learn” methodology, setting outcomes and outputs to determine effectiveness.
Vision
Cumberland will be a region where nutritious, tasty, and affordable food is available to all, across both our rural and urban communities. The local food economy will be inclusive, resilient, sustainable, and fair for everyone involved, ultimately reducing health inequalities. It will support local food enterprises, and the food available will have a low environmental impact, increased animal welfare and support the people who grow/ create / sell it.
Long-term outcomes
The following outcomes will be achieved:
- Increased understanding of the local food system and the effects it has on citizens, nutrition, and the environment
- Enhanced food security by improving access to healthy, affordable and local food
- Council policies and strategies will enshrine the right to food
- Extended food education and provisions for children and young people to ensure they have the necessary tools to lead healthy adult lives
- Increased opportunities for community food projects
- A thriving local food economy will be further developed, ensuring sustainability and fair wages
- Reduced greenhouse gas emissions from the local food system, and increased availability of locally grown seasonal produce
- Improved health and wellbeing as a result of Food Cumberland initiatives
Monitoring progress
Progress in this key area of work, will be assessed using the framework proposed by Sustainable Food Places (SFP) and their awards scheme; the partnership is aiming for the SFP bronze award in 2024. Equality Impact Assessments, devised by Cumberland Council, will also be used to evaluate progress, and will be considered as part of the delivery plan. An action plan will be developed, reviewed, and revised on an annual basis.
To ensure transparency, the partnership will report to the Health and Wellbeing Board, SLT, Public Health Alliance, Elected Members via the Community Panels twice per year. All funding reports will be completed in compliance with criteria set by the funding bodies.