Bath and North East Somerset’s Local Food Partnership has scooped a prestigious award for its work to increase access to healthy, local and sustainable food across the district.
The Partnership has been given a Bronze Award in the Sustainable Food Cities Awards for its work in tackling key food health and sustainability issues such as food poverty, community activities, public sector food and waste.
This includes the Healthy Lifestyle Service’s Cook It programme which teaches parents, carers, pregnant women and children how to cook affordable and healthy meals from scratch.
The Partnership was set up by the Council in 2014 and brings together members of the community, businesses, public sector organisations, voluntary sector organisations and charities.
Its vision is to ensure that Bath and North East Somerset becomes a place where everyone has access to good quality, safe, affordable food and can enjoy a healthy diet with more locally produced food that sustains the environment and stimulates the local economy.
Councillor Martin Veal, (Conservative, Bathavon North) Cabinet member for Community Services said “Achieving the Sustainable Food Cities award is testament to the range of activity happening across the district to increase access to healthy, local and sustainable food.
“We’re particularly proud of our efforts to improve public-sector food procurement, increase cooking, growing and healthy eating in schools and to support residents to reduce and recycle their food waste.
“A wide range of businesses and community organisations are key to the success of the partnership including Bath Area Growers who have set up new community gardens in and around Bath and Community@ 67 who have set up a local food co-operative and lunch club in Keynsham.”
For more information, visit www.bathnes.gov.uk/localfood.