Food security in the western metropolitan region of Melbourne Agnieszka Kleparska, Project Officer Health Promotion James Dunne, Project Officer Health Promotion HealthWest Partnership March 2012

Setting the Context: HealthWest Partnership HealthWest Partnership is: –Strategic alliance of two Primary Care Partnerships covering the local government areas of Brimbank, Hobsons Bay, Maribyrnong, Melton and Wyndham. –26 member organisations including community health, hospitals, general divisions of practice, PDRSS, local government and non-government agencies

Setting the Context: Profile of western metro region of Melbourne Changing demographics: –Rapid growth in outer west –Entrenched disadvantage in middle west –Gentrification in inner west –Highly diverse population, including newly arrived refugees Higher than Victorian average: –Heart disease and type 2 diabetes mortality –Diabetes prevalence – 4.5% prevalence in Victoria; 6.1% in Brimbank; 5.4% in Hobsons Bay –Obesity –Social disadvantage – 4 out of 10 most disadvantaged Vic LGAs

What is Food Security? Food security has been defined as: “the state in which all persons obtain nutritionally adequate, affordable, culturally acceptable, safe food regularly through local non-emergency sources”* * Victorian Health Promotion Foundation [VicHealth] (2011) Food for all program : evaluation report.

Setting the Context: HealthWest & Food Security Food security identified as a health promotion priority in 2009 and Food Security Network (FSN) established FSN established in recognition that member agencies undertaking individual actions on food security and a coordinated, regional approach was required

Mapping and Food Access Profiles FSN identified the need for evidence- based resource Food Access Profiles include: –Mapping of food outlets –Results from Vic Healthy Food Basket Survey –Community consultation on food security

What did the mapping tell us? Disproportionate amount of take away outlets vs. fruit and veg outlets and chain supermarkets Higher concentration of take away outlets in most disadvantaged areas Substantially large portion of residents live beyond 500m from a fruit and veg outlet (between 66% - 97%) Western region population is at increased risk of food insecurity.

What did the mapping tell us? (cont’d) Fresh food outlets Take away outlets

What did the mapping tell us (cont’d) Fresh food outlets Take away outlets

Other Barriers to Food Security Victorian Healthy Food Basket Survey –Unaffordability - higher than recommended proportion of income required to purchase nutritionally adequate food. Community consultations identified the following barriers: –Income: food availability –Transport: food access –Quality: food consumption

Outcomes Evidence-based resource to support planning, policy development and interventions Regional advocacy tool for awareness raising/action on food security Solid partnership of community health, local government and NGOs to plan and act collaboratively into the future

Where to next? Advocacy and wide dissemination Matching data with best practice research to support planning and interventions Possibly extended research further

What does it mean for local governments? Victorian local governments have a legislative responsibility to plan for municipal health and wellbeing Victorian Environments for Health (E4H) Municipal Public Health Planning framework provides platform for improving local food security Local governments have a whole of population mandate and can improve community health and wellbeing More integrated, long-term planning for food security is essential Food security is everyone’s business

Useful links Victorian Environments for Health (E4H) Municipal Public Health Planning framework Department of Health Municipal Food Security Scanning Report VLGA Food Sensitive Planning and Urban Design Report Eco Innovation Lab and National Heart Foundation Ten ways local government can act on food security – Food For All VicHealth HealthWest website

Contact Agnieszka Kleparska Project Officer Health Promotion HealthWest Partnership