Health and wellbeing
Food summit to shape a food plan and priorities for Walsall
Published on
A summit that will aim to shape a food plan for Walsall and identify future priorities is set to take place this week.
The Walsall Food Summit organised by Food for Life (a Soil Association programme) and Public Health Walsall will bring together over 40 multiagency partners and leaders who play a role in the food system.
From growers, retailers and food businesses to caterers, schools and the voluntary and community sector, the one-day event on Wednesday 17 January from 9:30am to 4pm at Walsall Football Club will encourage attendees to share their views that will help create a food system that is healthy for people, communities and the wider borough.
Attendees will collaborate with people across Walsall’s food system, hear best practice in other areas, learn about local initiatives, the work of Food for Life and enjoy a delicious local lunch.
The summit will contribute to the development of a borough-wide Food Plan for Walsall, which was one of the recommendations from the Director of Public Health Walsall’s 2022/23 Annual Report ‘Feeding our Future’.
“ The Walsall Food Summit promises to be an exciting day for everyone, bringing together people who play a role in our food system.
As part of our We are Walsall 2040 Borough Plan, our ambition is for Walsall to be healthy and well. We hope the summit will enable further collaboration among partners to identify opportunities that will enable everyone to eat well, live healthy lives and promote a sustainable food environment for everyone. “
“ Food for Life have been working with Walsall Public Health since 2017 to improve food quality and education both within schools and nurseries and beyond the school gates. The Walsall Food Summit is a positive next step towards creating a joined-up food system within Walsall which will help drive innovation and best practice in making healthy and sustainable food accessible to all. This is a great chance to bring together the passionate people across the area to make valuable connections which will further strengthen our local food system. “
ENDS
Notes to editor:
- Commissioned by Public Health Walsall, Food for Life have been embedding a whole school approach to food, training and providing personalised support packages to all Walsall primary schools and 35 nurseries. To date, over 16,000 pupils have benefitted from the positive impact of having the Food for Life programme in their school. Download the latest report on Food for Life's impact in Walsall from the Food for Life website.
- Food for Life’s work to date has included their Sugar Smart campaign. Launched in August 2023 it encourages all children and adults to pledge action to reduce sugar consumption and make healthy nutrition choices.
- The Director of Public Health Walsall’s 2022 Annual Report entitled ‘Feeding our Future’ highlights steps that everyone can take to eat well and to access local food initiatives. The report is published on the Public Health page of the Walsall Council website.
- We are Walsall 2040 is a borough-wide plan that sets out the ambitions for what the borough should be like by 2040. It is a collaboration between key partner organisations including Walsall Police, Walsall College, NHS organisations, whg, Walsall Football Club and many more. To find out more and read the borough plan, visit the Walsall Council website.
