Publication
Community food initiatives in Scotland: activities and issues
| Contents: | 1. Introduction 2. Research methods 3. Small group discussions 4. Telephone interview 5. Conclusions 6. References Summary |
1. Introduction
It is widely recognised that a diet rich in starchy carbohydrates, fruits and vegetables and low in fats (especially saturated fats) is likely to reduce or delay the development of the major causes of morbidity and mortality in the UK (namely coronary heart disease, strokes and cancer, obesity, non-insulin dependant diabetes and dental decay) (DH,1991,HMSO, 1992). Achieving dietary change in the Scottish population presents a major public health challenge (DH, 1998, Scottish Office, 1996) but particularly so in low income communities where food choices reflect a complex interaction between economic circumstances (poor levels of disposable income), limited access to a wide variety of reasonably priced foods and cultural norms and expectations (Forsyth et al, 1994 ). Additionally, the combined burden of poverty, low employment, poor housing and sub-optimal physical and mental health contribute to difficulties in tackling behavioural change, which, in turn, contribute to increasing health inequalities (Scottish Office, 1998).
A number of recent studies have demonstrated substantial differences in dietary intake amongst lower income household (Gregory et al 1990, Gregory et al, 1994, Scottish Office, 1997) highlighting inadequate intakes of fruits and vegetables and excess fat (particularly saturated). The Scottish Diet Action Group (Scottish Office, 1996) identified four main, but interlinking barriers to progressing a healthy diet namely:
- limited availability of healthy foods of an acceptable quality and cost
- the difficulty and expense of travelling on public transport to “out of town” supermarkets”
- lack of basic cooking skills and equipment
- long established dietary habits and reluctance to change
To attempt to overcome some of these barriers a range of locally based food initiatives have emerged. An audit of Community Food Initiatives in Scotland undertaken in 1996 reported on the work of 77 projects including, practical cookery sessions, nutrition and health education, improvements in access to food (food co-operatives, community cafes and transport schemes), price discounts on selected foods and money advice (Anderson et al, 1996). Whilst these initiatives have enormous potential to help improve dietary intake, it was recognised within the Diet Action Plan for Scotland that “a combination of measures, brought within a strategic framework, which build on existing initiatives and tap into, and stimulate community initiative and energy” is required to address problems of diet in low income communities.
Since the audit of 1996 there has been considerable efforts to enable communities in Scotland to become more actively involved in promoting their own health. The Health Education Board for Scotland (HEBS) continues their work in providing support for grassroots work to promote local activity, facilitating information exchange, supporting education and training opportunities for those involved in community-based health promotion and encouraging community consultation within relevant organisations and agencies.
In the diet and health arena The Scottish Office funded The Scottish Community Diet Project (SCDP) at the end of 1996 to co-ordinate dietary strategy, fund innovative diet projects and develop initiatives in low income communities. The SCDP has done much to network and promote community based food initiatives including grant awards of £30,000 to those “working within and with local communities to improve access to, and take up of, a healthy varied diet”. The grant scheme alone attracted over 70 applications totalling a quarter of a million pounds reflecting considerable enthusiasm for local projects. A total of 23 initiatives received funding.
Networking existing, new and future projects has been facilitated by the project’s quarterly newsletter Fare Choice. The SCDP programme of conferences and seminars has also provided a forum for sharing and exchanging knowledge and experience.
In Spring 1997 the specific details of the audit database was produced in paper format as “Food in the Community - a directory of Community Food Initiatives in Scotland” jointly by HEBS and SCDP. That production involved updating information on existing initiatives (often by deletion as short term projects disappear) but was unable to collect details on new projects. Although it is recognised that many projects are short-lived ,there is an impression that much new work is on-going or planned and it seems timely to update the current database to provide a comprehensive review of current activities.
From the 1996 audit it is clear that community food initiatives take many forms but increasingly it is possible to group these into 12 or so categories (e.g. food co-ops, community cafes). Whilst earlier work identified a global view of issues influencing the development and maintenance of food projects (including funding, premises, transport, and staffing issues) there is little information available on the barriers and opportunities that exist within specific project categories. Newer types of initiatives such as Breakfast clubs/bars appear to have become popular with the increasing demise of school meals but unlike the Food Co-ops there has been no integrated approach to bringing those involved in this work together and it seems possible that networking specific categories of projects may have additional benefits for the development of future work.
The aims of the current study are:
- To update and expand the existing community food initiatives on the HEBS database.
- To explore pertinent issues and themes with those involved in running various categories of community food initiatives
- To make recommendations for policy and practice out of the discussions with various community food initiatives.