Brighton & Hove Sustainable Food Cities Award 2015 Introduction In our application we have a range of Making the most of the overlaps Policy and practice evidence against the different criteria Food work in the city is not about ‘health’ or Our city’s success relies on the energy of frontline set out by the SFC Board to support ‘sustainability’ or ‘economy’ or ‘culture’. People don’t projects and people who make a day-in-day-out Brighton & Hove’s application for a experience food via the silos created by policy makers, difference to the way we shop, cook, produce and food work in the city seeks to explicitly focus on the and dispose of food. But we also operate at a Silver Sustainable Food Cities Award. overlaps. For example the University of Brighton, which strategic level, working with partners such as But there is something more to food caters for 22,000 students and 2,500 staff, deliberately the City Council, Public Health and Local Strategic work in Brighton & Hove than a chooses menus with a wide-range of vegetarian dishes Partnership to ensure the city embeds good practice parade of individual actions. and actively promotes the benefits of meat reduction into policy and provides a legacy of ongoing change. to both personal health and the environment. This can be seen across the board including planning guidance on including food growing in new Yes, we have a strategy and action plan The city’s community based nutritionists educate and if everyone does what they’ve said developments; protocols and checklists for growing about sustainability issues as well as health, in public spaces; financial inclusion work that includes then we will make progress towards including information about sustainable food poverty and healthy weight; and good nutrition the vision of a healthy, sustainable types of fish when discussing the importance of prioritised in our Health and Wellbeing Strategy. and fair food system. oily fish for health; cookery lessons for vulnerable adults include sessions on food waste reduction; Communication and profile and volunteering on community food projects But I wanted to tell you about the A website, demonstration projects, social media, as a source of exercise is promoted to people threads that weave through the work in a printed newsletter and fortnightly e-bulletins, finishing weight management programmes. Brighton & Hove; the elements that help plus work with local press and TV are all ways create a wide and coherent movement The work to improve procurement practices of large Brighton & Hove Food Partnership talk to people of individuals and organisations striving public organisations is both a means of improving that live and work in the city, sharing what is going the meals served and a driver for local economic on and how to get involved. By involving ourselves to improve the food system and using development. Sussex Partnership Trust, who in policy meetings, responding to consultations food work as a catalyst to drive forward serve 800,000 patients a year, get food rated as and asking questions of locally elected officials social and environmental change. good or excellent in 91% of surveys, and their choice we have seen food become an expected agenda item. of local suppliers has resulted in increased turnover Spreading the word in turn inspires action. and more jobs in local businesses. www.bhfood.org.uk 2 As one volunteer led growing project said: “The impact way of connecting up all of the bits of work going A critical element of our work on a healthy, sustainable of this is not clear but makes us feel good, and part of on across the city. As a Council employee noted: and fair food system is that whilst we always look to a partnership in reality and not just in name”. And this “a hundred people in the Council for whom food work learn and be inspired by other places, we don’t just work doesn’t stop at the city boundaries: The Brighton is a tiny bit of their job couldn’t co-ordinate in the copy and paste from other places. The work has to & Hove Food and Drink Festival and Visit Brighton use same way”. BHFP champions the food strategy, have a Brighton flavour to build on our assets and festivals, events, social media and press work to works with partners to help and encourage them address our challenges. communicate with the 8.5 million tourists that visit to deliver action and brings in resources for projects. each year. BHFP also monitors progress and keeps an eye on Our city’s approach involves asking and listening to the external environment and the opportunities what communities want, and involving residents. All too often strategies belong to policy makers but and challenges this might bring. For example the recent Allotment Strategy had in Brighton & Hove we use our communications contributions from 1,700 plot holders and people on power to share the collective story of what is being Time the waiting list; and members of the Food Partnership achieved. We have celebrated the 1,000th member The Food Partnership has been in existence since 2003. pose questions in an ‘Ask Your Candidate’ exercise of community composting; the commitment of the Growing seasons, procurement cycles, behaviour for local elections. The city has a long tradition of Council to introduce new food buying standards; change take time. Champions in a wide range of community activism and this is used as a vehicle for research into food poverty; work to improve the organisations need to be nurtured and then work actively engaging diverse communities and targeting dining environment in local schools; the opening to engage colleagues in the agenda. Cross-sector work in deprived areas. of new sustainable food businesses. Even if people partnerships take time to develop but ultimately Finally food work in the city is served up with a smile; don’t know the detail of the food strategy they make it possible to achieve far more than individual a positive tone about what can be achieved rather than feel part of something bigger, and this scale creates projects or sectors can do on their own. citywide momentum. As the recent evaluation of criticising what has gone before. And with a dose of Harvest Brighton & Hove by the University of A local flavour belief that this can and does work. Brighton showed, this process of raising the profile As you will see from our city profile we face a number has given policy makers and projects confidence of factors that are similar to the whole of the country in just what food work can achieve. (obesity and food waste), some which are similar to other places of a comparable size (the need for Vic Borrill Brighton & Hove Food Partnership (BHFP) good jobs and housing) and some which are unique BHFP Director Growing from unfunded, volunteer-run roots, BHFP is to us (our geography and our population bulge of now an independent, politically neutral, not-for-profit 20-44 year olds). organisation with staff and volunteers. It is a place to go to find information and inspiration and provides a www.bhfood.org.uk 3 Brighton & Hove profile In the 2011 census the Deprived areas of the city The city’s water is supplied resident population of have a life expectancy of 30% of domestic 88,000 entirely by chalk aquifer Brighton & Hove had waste is food – most groundwater sources. up to 10 yrs less households in Brighton increased to of which could Quality is at risk as a result than affluent wards & Hove cannot afford have been eaten of nitrate and pesticide market housing (either 273,369 contamination through to buy or rent) without farm practices, but also some form of subsidy highway, municipal and Our total recycling and or spending a domestic pesticide use composting rate in 2012/13 disproportionate level 19 out of 164 86% of our and leaking sewers areas in the city are in the was 26.8% businesses were small or of their income on housing costs. 10% most deprived compared against the micro level, employing less national average of 41.6% in England, 2 are in the than ten people in 2010 most deprived 1% We are a tolerant city with 4000 We are a constrained people Brighton & Hove attracts Over a third city with little available 92% are members of our households land – bound on the sea of residents agreeing that their local area is of the Brighton & Hove comprise only one person at one side and by the 8.5 million a place where people Food Partnership visitors a year. South Downs national park on the other from different backgrounds get on Foodbanks in the city well together We have fewer children give out approximately and older residents than other places in the 2,500 We have MORE country but a large food parcels per month number of adults aged restaurants & cafés per head of population 20-44 years than anywhere else in the UK www.bhfood.org.uk 4 Food in the media Are they...?Preferred solutionsOther options Discreonary Help and • Lunch clubs Advice Team Help with • Growing projects food, goods and fuel bills • Community cafes in an emergency. • Community Not eligible Support cookery classes 2014 for LDSF and Community Support? advice options Council sets tough rules for Hospital serves local food, We help health trusts slash meal bill, First Orchard Planted in 100 years, caterers, The Argus, 16 Jul 2014 BBC South East, 10 Jun 2014 Latest News, 29 May 2014 The Argus, Feb 2014 BUCFP Too Free lunch (in an emergency) and advice hungry to think and in (Mon to Friday).