A new food initiative has been launched to put the people of Newcastle on the path to a healthier future.

The Newcastle Good Food Plan is aimed at building a stronger, more sustainable and more diverse nutritional culture for the city’s 300,000 residents.

It is the brainchild of the five-year-old Food Newcastle Partnership (FNP) but has been developed in collaboration with Newcastle City Council and around 150 stakeholders including the NHS Trust, Children North East, the Greggs Foundation, Nestl

é and Byker-based social enterprise Food Nation.

The aims of the Newcastle Good Food Plan will be achieved through:

  • Tackling diet-related ill health and improving access to good food;
  • Reducing food poverty;
  • Building community food knowledge, skills and resources;
  • Strengthening the local sustainable food economy;
  • Transforming catering and food procurement;
  • Reducing waste and the ecological footprint of the food system.

People will be encouraged to cook more meals for themselves, reduce waste, support independent retailers, farmers and growers, and look at cultivating their own fresh produce.

Businesses and schools in Newcastle are being encouraged to serve healthier food while also buying more locally produced ingredients (an aim that ties in with the city’s aim to be carbon neutral by 2050).

The success of similar programmes in other cities including Bristol, Brighton and Toronto has encouraged those behind the Newcastle initiative.

Nicola Cowell, community food engagement co-ordinator at Food Nation, said: “We already know that people who eat well, live well.

“At the core of the Newcastle Good Food Plan is the desire to create a healthier and more sustainable place to live, work and play for everyone.

“Much work is already being done to achieve this, with many public bodies committed to making their food procurement more sustainable, and community-based groups actively involved in working with residents on a range of projects, from teaching cooking skills to making good food easier to access.

“However, these groups often tend to work independently of each other.

“What the Good Food Plan does is bring everything together so collectively we can make a bigger impact on people’s diet, health and the environment.

“These are arguably the biggest social challenges facing us, not just in Newcastle but globally.

“They are challenges that must be effectively tackled if we are to build a better future for all.”

Coun Jane Streather with Nicola Tolson, her son Jake, two, and Nicola Cowell, Food Nation
Coun Jane Streather with Nicola Tolson, her son Jake, two, and Nicola Cowell, Food Nation

Several new community programmes and activities will be delivered as part of the Good Food Plan.

Local food enterprises will train and employ residents to run their own projects tackling diet and public health inequalities.

Coun Jane Streather, Newcastle City Council’s cabinet member for public health and housing, said: “This plan will allow Newcastle to realise its ambition to become a healthier, sustainable city, while also clarifying our policy on everything from public heath to the distribution and access of food, as well as on the environment.

“The city council is committed to working with community groups, charities, social enterprises and businesses to ensure everyone has access to good food and that a more sustainable food system is put in place.

“It’s obvious that the food model that has been followed worldwide for so long is neither sustainable nor healthy. We want to ensure the best possible future for the people of Newcastle.

“Good food is vital to the quality of people’s lives as well as creating a more vibrant, diverse, healthier, sustainable and ultimately prosperous city.

“Long-term, that is surely what everyone wants? The Newcastle Good Food Plan is an important step forward not just for us but the wider North East.”

As for food waste, the recently established Newcastle Waste Commission recently outlined its plan to make the city a leader in waste reduction.

Its publication No Time to Waste is packed with ideas to cut waste, including food waste, across the city.

The Newcastle Good Food Plan will be a driver in realising the ambitious target of no food going to waste at all.

Two men, Peter Maddox, of the charity Waste and Resource Action Programme, and Andrew Griffiths, head of environmental sustainability at Nestl

é UK and Ireland, have been looking at how the Newcastle Good Food Plan can help to bring this about.

Mr Griffiths said: “Redefining our relationship with food is crucial and this integrated programme brings together a number of different elements to help deliver better health outcomes, address food inequality and reduce the environmental impact of food waste.

“It is great to see such a range of stakeholders coming together to develop and deliver this plan across the city.”

Coun Jane Streather with Kelly Robinson-Cook, her son Hayden, four, and Nicola Cowell of Food Nation
Coun Jane Streather with Kelly Robinson-Cook, her son Hayden, four, and Nicola Cowell of Food Nation

LITTLE DIGGERS

This project in Newcastle’s West End is just the kind of thing the Newcastle Good Food Plan is seeking to encourage.

It was set up by the Sure Start West Community Family Hub and launched last September with a £1,300 grant from Food Nation.

The aim was to show parents and their children how to grow their own fruit and veg.

Based on a plot of land in the Scotswood Natural Community Garden, families with children under five are invited to take part in practical sessions which are also designed to be fun.

Organisers hope they’ll be the first step towards adopting a healthier diet and lifestyle.

Sultana Rajia, a Sure Start development worker with Newcastle City Council, has been involved with Little Diggers since the start.

“Obesity levels among children are quite high in the Elswick, Benwell and Scotswood areas,” she says.

“Part of this problem is a lack of resources as healthy food can be quite expensive, coupled with the fact that there are a lot of fast food outlets and cheap food shops.

“Through Little Diggers we are trying to promote healthy eating in a fun environment.

“It is about telling people that you don’t have to buy expensive food, that you don’t need access to a massive garden to grow your own, that it’s possible, even if you live in a flat, to cultivate fresh herbs and vegetables in pots.

“Because we are aiming Little Diggers at families with young children, we hope we can set the foundations for a healthier lifestyle going forward.”

Sultana is a keen supporter of the Newcastle Good Food Plan.

“We see what we are doing with Little Diggers as being an important part of helping the Newcastle Good Food Plan succeed.

“What it is seeking to achieve will have a positive, long-term effect on the health of the people of Newcastle.”