Workshops explored food security

Food and planning were the focus of two recent workshops that explored how food related to and could be built into a workplace.

The recent Food Sensitive Planning and Urban Design workshops attracted 25 participants and representatives from Baw Baw Shire Council, Health and Human Services Department, Environment, Land, Water and Planning Department, West Gippsland Healthcare Group, Warragul Farmer’s Market, Baw Baw Food Hub, and Baw Baw Food Movement.

Mayor Joe Gauci said the workshops gave participants the chance to explore the complex causes of food insecurity, and how the built environment can influence people’s ability to access affordable, healthy food.

“With more than five per cent of people living in the Baw Baw Shire considered to be food insecure and 49 per cent not eating the daily recommended amounts of fruit and vegetables, the workshops gave participants the chance to explore how the built environment can influence people’s ability to access affordable, healthy food.

“People most at risk of food insecurity include the elderly, low income households, children and people that may be isolated or living in remote outer rural areas of the Baw Baw Shire.

In addition, the workshops explored how food relates to, and can be built into a person’s work to help achieve the key objective of building a local, healthy and accessible food system.

“Over the past five years extensive local research has demonstrated significant evidence of food insecurity within Baw Baw, with a number of complex, interrelated causative factors.

He said this led to development of the Baw Baw Food Security recommendations report, and establishment of the Baw Baw Food Security Coalition in 2012.

The Coalition consists of three working groups, each engaging agencies and groups from different sectors to work collaboratively on improving food security at all levels, from policy through to community lead food initiatives and emergency food relief.

“The workshops were a logical next step for strategically building and progressing the work being undertaken,” CrGauci said.

Feedback from the sessions was positive, with 78 per cent of feedback respondents saying they had a better understanding of how food and health relate to their work, and 78 per ent also intending to apply what they had learnt to their work