Food and Health Strategy Update

Projects Contributing to Bristol’s

National Food Champion Award 2008-10
This document bullet-points Bristol City Council’s main commitments in support of Bristol’s
Food and Health strategy action plan which is a joint strategy with the Primary Care Trust.
The five year Food and Health strategy came into force in 2007 and provides a framework
for agencies and organisations to work together towards improving the diet and health of the
Bristol population. Alongside this, a needs assessment of health and well being for the city
is currently being produced - looking at current and projected needs of the population.

The strategy has three broad aims:-

• To take a population-wide life-course approach to promoting healthy eating and achieving optimum nutrition;
• To contribute to a reduction in heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, obesity and other chronic
conditions;
• To develop a targeted approach to reducing nutrition-related health problems and inequalities.

The strategy objectives are:-

To promote a sound scientific rationale for the links between diet and health;
To improve knowledge of the principles of healthy eating;
To promote healthy eating practices known to contribute to a reduction in the incidence of coronary heart
disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, obesity and other chronic conditions;
To encourage a life-course approach to improving diet;
To develop a targeted approach to reducing inequalities in healthy food access and consumption;
To promote a range of evidence-based healthy eating initiatives at local level;
To ensure that healthy eating initiatives are available in a variety of settings

The action plan themes involving Bristol City Council and PCT can be summarised under 4 broad categories:-

1. Health inequalities - in local communities

2. Children and young people (from birth)
3. The workplace
4. Older people

Health Inequalities (communities with high health need)

The Neighbourhood Renewal Partnerships all have projects aimed
at improving diet related health: Hartcliffe Health & Environmental Action Group (HHEAG), supported by
Bristol City Council, currently runs Nutrition & Cooking Projects for (i) parents with young children, (ii)
antenatal (iii) Weight-loss groups. HHEAG also operates a food co-op selling healthy/locally grown
produce.
‘Cooking from Scratch’ courses have been run for teenagers and young parents in Knowle West and
Southmead.To date 80 people have attended courses, which equip them with the skills and knowledge
needed to choose and cook balanced healthy meals.
Bristol City Council have just released funding to train 40 key workers working in the most vulnerable
communities to deliver healthy eating/cooking courses to their client group. The intention is to train key
workers in Southmead, Lawrence Hill, Easton, St Pauls and Lawrence Weston.
The Healthy Lifestyle Project in Knowle West enables referral of patients for a lifestyle review and onward
referral into a range of activities including physical activity, food, diet and nutrition support, arts and
educational activities.
‘Knowle West Community Kitchen’ – following the ‘cooking from scratch project in 2006’, this continues to
deliver cooking classes for local residents. Barton Hill Neighbourhood Renewal have secured funding
from the Big Lottery over 3 years to kit out a learning kitchen and employ a development worker and
tutors to deliver courses.
A Community market in Lockleaze has now been running for 3 years, making fresh locally produced food
accessible to the community.
Knowle West Health Park are starting an allotment project in conjunction with local schools and Age
Concern (funding from Neighbourhood Renewal). The aim is to provide an opportunity for young and
older people to grow their own vegetables.
 Bristol Foodlinks has reformed to provide a network which brings together community, voluntary and
private food sector, aiming to promote healthier diets and local, sustainable food production. This also
involves partnership with adjacent rural Councils, including Eat Somerset project.
Children and Young People
As part of the Transforming School Meals agenda (multi-agency partnership), teachers
from 46 schools have received nutrition training and 30 schools attended the briefing on the
new school food standards.
Schools have been offered a range of educational activities to underpin healthy food choice, including
practical cooking skills training available to primary schoolteachers.
Nutrition training is offered to Early Years Practitioners (50 people have attended courses so far).The
nutrition training provided for Health Visitors in 2005/06 will also be repeated due to staff turnover.
Bedminster Down School has become a flagship school for the Food for Life Partnership. The school
have hosted a 3 day visit from the Cooking Bus. Pupils, staff, parents and neighbouring schools attended
were taught to cook healthy meals.
Bristol’s Healthy Schools now has Beacon Award status. Extended School Locality Managers are in place
to help develop healthy food initiatives into the community
An ‘Exchange a Chef’ initiative is underway, with chef’s from local food businesses going into schools and
offering demonstration sessions. School cooks then spend time in the restaurant – aimed at healthy/local.
So far 8 schools have been involved.
49 schools are taking part in the ‘Eat a Metre’ initiative pioneered by Monks Park Secondary School.
Children have a go at seeing how much food they can cultivate in a 1 square metre of ground.
HHEAG runs nutrition/cooking children’s activities after school/holidays all year round in Hartcliffe &
Withywood.
MEND – a fun programme for children 7-13 years and their carers, aimed at helping families with
overweight children (approx 250 families involved in Bristol).
Healthy Kids Programme – being run for key stage 2 pupils in 5 primary schools (8 week programme of
after-school sessions) including EatWell plate, cooking skills together with fun activities to increase
exercise levels.

Workplace
An audit of food served in city council premises is underway, and a task group is working on development
of a Council Healthy Food Policy.
www.scoresonthedoors.org.uk is a website publishing the results of the food safety team’s 5-star food
hygiene award. 2365 food businesses have been assessed so far. The Food Safety Team are now
looking at ways to offer an ‘eat well’ award, recognising food businesses that make commitments to
providing healthier food options.

Older People
12 community nurses attended nutrition update training. Plans are for this course to be offered to staff
working in nursing and residential homes and sheltered housing.
A project to be run alongside the lunch clubs operating in the city - offering healthy cooking
demonstrations and healthy eating advice to older people – is being developed in partnership with the
PCT.
A recent ‘Celebrating Age’ event hosted by the city council to engage with older people in the city and
seek their views on services.
‘Linkage’ is an initiative that supports the ‘Quality of life for older people strategy’. Community
development workers are engaging with older people in target areas of the city – determining health
priorities and running activities.

Summary
This progress report shows the range of initiatives being developed in Bristol to
improve inequalities in nutrition-related health. Partners on the Strategy Group
are working to deliver on the objectives. The Strategy Group have identified a
number of areas requiring further development. In particular, work with BME
communities, with older people and on local food procurement are priority
areas.