Calum IrvingCalum IrvingHead of Campaigns and Advocacy

Engaging Communities g g gwith the food environment

Our Life’s Our Life s role• Campaigning social ente p iseenterprise• Tackling the barriers to wellbeing and health• Supported by PCTs and NHS North West• Public health evidence and public concern

Why an engagement b d h?based approach?

• Alcohol vs. food• Clarity around alcohol harm: price and availability• Food: vast complex and focus unclearFood: vast, complex and focus unclear

• where to start?

• Public health evidence and political decisions• Citizen disconnect from public policyC it t h t ?• Community engagement: on whose terms?

Why an engagement based approach?

cartoonist: Kate Charlesworth Taken fromCharlesworth. Taken from ‘Teach yourself Citizens Juries’ PEALS, University of Newcastle

Delibe ati e engagementDeliberative engagement

• Time and space • Educative• Citizens’ juriesCitizens juries• Opportunity to question “experts”• Citizen lead

Talking Food’s fo matTalking Food’s format

• North West communities; deprivation characteristics• Good local partners; eg. Healthy Living Centre / PCT in Ellesmere Port: recruitment, hosting and local action• Oversight Panel; guide debate, balance, able to identify commentators, advocate for changesde t y co e tato s, ad ocate o c a ges• Stakeholder group; Our Life’s colleagues in public services with a close interest in process and outcome• Project partner; Heart of MerseyProject partner; Heart of Mersey

Talking Food’s fo matThe Oversight Panel;

P f Si C ll P f f Cli i l E id i l

Talking Food’s format

• Professor Simon Capewell, Professor of Clinical Epidemiology, University of Liverpool• Abdul Mulla, Manager, Blackburn with Darwen Healthy Living Centre

Ad B i S i P li Ad i N ti l F U i• Adam Briggs, Senior Policy Adviser, National Farmers Union• Angela Towers, Regional Co-ordinator, Food Standards Agency• Charlie Clutterbuck, Hon Research Fellow, Centre for Food Policy / City University and Trustee of the Food Ethics CouncilCity University and Trustee of the Food Ethics Council• Gordon Jones, Senior Farming and Food Adviser, Defra• Helen Rimmer, North West Regional Organiser, Friends of the Earth• Matt Fryer Strategy and Investment Manager Food North West• Matt Fryer, Strategy and Investment Manager, Food North West• Michel Pimbert, Leader, Food and Agriculture, International Institute for Environment and Development• Chris Pattino, Manager, Hospitality and Stadium Services, HaltonChris Pattino, Manager, Hospitality and Stadium Services, HaltonBorough Council• Robin Ireland, Chief Executive, Heart of Mersey• Sheila Dillon, Presenter, The Food Programme, BBC Radio 4, , g ,

Talking Food’s fo mat• What makes it difficult to get h l h f d

Talking Food’s format

healthier food?

• Discussing barriers• mapping food establishments• reflecting on own challenges

• Barriers identified• Become topics for subsequent 6 – 7 weeks• We arrange commentators based on those barriersWe arrange commentators based on those barriers

Take a a s• Important where prevalentHi h

Take-aways

• High concern• Blackburn, Cleator Moor and Oldham• Commentators; Nicola Evans and Professor Jack Winkler and planning officers in Cleator Moor (Copeland Council)and planning officers in Cleator Moor (Copeland Council)

“street research”Oldham young people and Prof

i klWinkler

Take a a s

• Extensive questioning!

Take-aways“We counted 21 fast qu o g

• Nutrition• Regulation of supply• Advertising

food outlets in less than a mile and a half in Cleator Moor. AdvertisingWhen do you say enough is enough?

• Recommendations in each inquiry (Blackburn);

“T k d t b li d f lit H lth “Takeaways need to be policed for quality. Health. Content e.g. salt, fat”

“Local authorities use their powers to limit number of take-aways from area to area. Advertising. Junk mail.”

An info med ie

Sensible meas ed feasible

An informed view

• Sensible, measured, feasible

• Authentic and democratic

• Things we wouldn’t think of

• Local action; food co-ops, community growing and take-aways

• Campaign weekend; 12th – 13th March

• Wider scale actions;• Wider scale actions;• Take-aways• Junk food advertising

• School education: cooking• Community education: cooking

Whe e ne t?

Campaign eekend ision fo a healthie food

Where next?

• Campaign weekend: vision for a healthier food system with 4 major topics

• Guides Our Life’s campaign work

• Exploring with stakeholders; Heart of Merseyp g y

• Links with other campaigns and organisations

• Take-aways key: regulatory and nutritional

• Investigating additional funding• Investigating additional funding

• More deliberative work: recent alcohol commission