Agenda item - Food Strategy and Food Action Plan update

RESOLVED:

That the Health & Wellbeing Board:

1)         Note the progress on and the success of the citywide strategic approach to addressing food poverty

2)         Agree that the Health & Wellbeing Board / Performance and Information Group receive a report of progress against the Food Strategy Action Plan as necessary.

3)         Include in the formal action plan a request for officers to undertake a further investigation into the nutrition and hydration needs of older and vulnerable people in the city, as part of a citywide preventative approach to spot malnutrition earlier and reduce avoidable hospital admissions & readmissions.

4)         Approve the bid for Brighton and Hove to continue to lead the way nationally by becoming a ‘Gold Sustainable Food City.’

21.1    Officers introduced the report with Emily O’Brien from the Brighton & Hove Food Partnership. Emily O’Brien stated that Brighton & Hove had been one of the first places to take a strategic approach to food poverty and she was proud of what had been achieved over the last three years. The report showed the next steps for the city including achieving the Gold Standard for Food Sustainability and the new partnership action plan which would pick up the wider food strategies.

21.2    The Chair welcomed the report and stated that the call for the Board to take more strategic ownership of the area was welcome.

21.3    Councillor Page stated that access to good nutritious food was a basic human right and that this report highlighted the need to ensure that this was available to residents. Councillor Page proposed a motion to amend the wording of recommendation 1.3 as show below in bold and italics.

“1.3     Include in the formal action plan a request for officers to undertake a further investigation into the nutrition and hydration needs of older and vulnerable people in the city, as part of a citywide preventative approach to spot malnutrition earlier and reduce avoidable hospital admissions & readmissions.”

21.4    Councillor Page stated that as highlighted by the public questioner earlier in the meeting there were vulnerable people in the city potentially in council accommodation who were suffering from malnutrition. The Chair seconded the motion.

21.5    Councillor Wealls stated that he was aware of the excellent school governor support service run by the Council and stated that this could be a vehicle to allow the Brighton & Hove Food Partnership to better engage with schools.

21.6    The Assistant Director, Education & Skills stated that she would be happy to help the Food Partnership better engage with schools and that the work that had been done around ‘poverty proofing the school day’ had looked at malnutrition.

21.7    Emily O’Brien stated that Brighton & Hove Food Partnership were a relatively small organisation and did not have the capacity to engage with schools on an individual basis and would welcome any chance to engage with schools across the city.

21.8    The Director of Public Health welcomed the positive but challenging report. He stated that the Health & Wellbeing Strategy should look to build health and wellbeing throughout the City and the Food Partnership exemplified that approach.

21.9    The Chair called a vote; the Board agreed to amend recommendation 1.3 and agreed to the substantive recommendations as amended.

21.8    RESOLVED:

That the Health & Wellbeing Board:

1)         Note the progress on and the success of the citywide strategic approach to addressing food poverty

2)         Agree that the Health & Wellbeing Board / Performance and Information Group receive a report of progress against the Food Strategy Action Plan as necessary.

3)         Include in the formal action plan a request for officers to undertake a further investigation into the nutrition and hydration needs of older and vulnerable people in the city, as part of a citywide preventative approach to spot malnutrition earlier and reduce avoidable hospital admissions & readmissions.

4)         Approve the bid for Brighton and Hove to continue to lead the way nationally by becoming a ‘Gold Sustainable Food City.’