Brighton and Hove Food Partnership inspires national network

The Brighton and Hove Food Partnership is being used as a model for similar projects in other towns and cities across the country.

And the Brighton and Hove organisation became a founding member of the Sustainable Food Cities Network yesterday (Tuesday 6 August).

The network brings together schemes to promote healthy and sustainable food as a way of tackling issues such as obesity and food poverty.

The Food Partnership said: “The pioneering work of the Brighton and Hove Food Partnership, which helped to develop one of the first citywide food strategies in 2006, will be used as an example for other cities in the network to follow.

“It is expected that at the end of the three-year programme more than 100 urban areas will have joined up allowing people to share challenges, explore practical solutions and develop best practice in all aspects of sustainable food.

“Members will also work towards achieving Sustainable Food City status.”

Vic Borrill, director of the Brighton and Hove Food Partnership said: “We all know about the problems associated with the current food system – obesity, food waste and damage to the environment.

“Ten years of food work in Brighton and Hove has shown how local people can find their own solutions to these problems.

“Thousands of people in our city are now involved in positive action around food – in planting orchards and community gardens, in teaching each other to cook or in helping vulnerable people access affordable food.

“We are excited that other places are looking to put food at the heart of solutions to the problems that today’s cities face.

“The launch of the Sustainable Food Cities network is a big step forward and the Brighton and Hove Food Partnership is looking forward to both learning from and sharing with other places.”

The Sustainable Food Cities Network is a project led by the Soil Association, Food Matters and Sustain.

Clare Devereux, director at Brighton-based food policy organisation Food Matters, said: “Our experience in Brighton and Hove has shown just what can be achieved if you get the right individuals and organisations together to develop a common vision of how they want to change their food system and then support them in turning that vision into reality.

“For many years Brighton and Hove has been ahead of the game but it is amazing how quickly and enthusiastically other towns and cities are now adopting similar approaches and starting to catch up.”