A public health annual report has highlighted the need for Walsall to have a sustainable, fair and prosperous food environment, helping residents to make nutritious, affordable food choices.
The Director of Public Health Walsall’s 2022 Annual Report entitled ‘Feeding our Future’ launched at Goscote Greenacres today (Monday 5 June 2023). The report highlights steps that everyone can take to eat well and to access local food initiatives.
Residents are encouraged to take steps to increase their fruit, vegetables, fibre and water each day, introduce meat-free days to their diet and use free apps such as the NHS Food Scanner to maintain a healthy routine and make healthy decisions. Reviewing food hygiene ratings of premises is recommended to help inform food choices when outside the home.
Eligible parents and carers are encouraged to take up the local offers of Healthy Start scheme vouchers, infant feeding and breastfeeding.
Communities and organisations also have a role to play in improving the local food environment. Recommendations include supporting people to improve cooking skills, grow food, access local support, reduce food waste and promote better nutrition and diets.
Previous figures have shown only 51.3% of adults in Walsall meet the recommended ‘5 A Day’ on a usual day. Research carried out with residents highlighted barriers to accessing food in shops and supermarkets, busy lifestyles and the cost of living affecting food choices and gaps in cooking and nutritional knowledge.
Councillor Gary Flint, Portfolio Holder for Wellbeing, Leisure and Public SpacesWalsall Council, said: “I welcome the Director of Public Health’s Annual Report on the local food environment. It acknowledges the fantastic work happening across Walsall to promote food and healthy eating. Projects like Goscote Greenacres, which we’ve seen today, play a vital role in giving residents access to good quality, local food.The report also highlights challenges our local food system faces and makes recommendations on how to address them. I hope residents, communities and organisations can come together and make a difference to improve the quality of food in Walsall and enable opportunities to access local support in place.I would like to congratulate everyone involved in the writing and publishing of this report."
Stephen Gunther, Director of Public HealthWalsall Council, said: "The culture of food in Britain has changed beyond recognition in the past 20 years. The type of food we eat, where it is sourced, how we cook, buy and dispose of our food waste, have altered dramatically. With these changes have come new and significant challenges.We need a food system that supports health improvement, delivers high quality food and standards and enables us to be resilient to global challenges that we may face in the future.I hope this annual report enables us to work proactively on local and national policies around food and there are simple steps we can all take to make the improvements needed. I am certain we can do this if we work together."
The full report can be downloaded from the Council website.
