A job with bite!

New role created

A new role has been created to help battle food poverty throughout Rutherglen and Cambuslang.

South Lanarkshire Council is hiring a new policy officer for food development.

The news comes just weeks after it was revealed a summer lunch club will run in St Anthony’s Primary this year, in an attempt to encourage more healthy eating.

The post has been created to ensure that food initiatives are delivered in a comprehensive way, and coordinated with the council’s partners.

Amongst a number of initiatives proposed, the new officer will oversee:

Development of a community food plan and council food forum;

Enhancement and support of both the council’s allotment strategy and food strategy;

Investigation of a council food procurement partnership, allowing the sourcing of more locally produced food from local communities.

Councillor John Anderson, Chair of the Community and Enterprise Resources committee, said: “Food is essential to our health and survival; it is at the heart of our economy, shapes our environment and helps form our cultural and social lives.

“The creation of this post is a further demonstration of our commitment to tackling food poverty in South Lanarkshire to promote the good health of all our residents, and to ensure that the way we produce, consume and distribute our food has minimal negative impacts on the environment.”