Healthy Food Connect

A support resource
Healthy Food Connect
A support resource
For more information on Healthy Food Connect contact Prevention and Population Health Branch, Department of Health
To receive this document in an accessible format please phone Prevention and Population Health on 9096 9000 or
healthytogether@health.vic.gov.au
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Printed by Snap, West Melbourne.
March 2014 (1401012)
Contents
Acknowledgements iv

About this resource 1

Section 1: Healthy Food Connect 2

Section 2: Food and health 6

Section 3: Undertake a local food access needs assessment 10

Section 4: Identify and prioritise actions 15

Section 5: Form a local food network 17

Section 6: Implement healthy food access initiatives 20

Section 7: Include healthy food access in local government policy and planning 21

Section 8: Evaluation and funding 26

Appendix 1: The food system, planning and the built environment 27

Appendix 2: Other healthy food access considerations 31

Appendix 3: Local food network stakeholders 32

Appendix 4: Resources to support Healthy Food Connect 33

Appendix 5: Case studies 35

References 37
 Acknowledgements
This resource was produced by the Prevention and The following people have provided valuable
Population Health Branch, Department of Health contributions to the development of the case study
section of this resource:
Thank you to the following people who contributed
to the preparation of this resource, or provided Rita Alvaro Heart Foundation
comments and expert advice: Sally Amy Robinvale Community
Toby Archer Victorian Local Governance Growers Market
Association Lisa Atwell City of Playford
Anthony Bernardi Heart Foundation Linda Brown Playford Food Co-op
Jan Black Municipal Association of Victoria Ruth Cuttler Bellarine Community Health
Shelley Bowen Department of Health Kursty Delmas Kogarah City Council
Rachel Carey Food Alliance Katie Drummond-Gillet Foodskil Geelong
Rachel Carlisle Heart Foundation Bronwyn Fenn Mullum Mullum Food Bank
Fiona Florakx Heart Foundation Trish Keilty Avocare Community
Leah Galvin Food security consultant Distribution Centre

Michael Gourlay Cultivating Community Kirsten Larsen Casey Food Hub

Veronica Graham Department of Health Basil Natoli Croxton Special School

Gardens
Kirsten Larsen Victorian Eco-Innovation Lab
iv and Eaterprises Robert Pekin Food Connect

Denise Laughlin Department of Health Lisa Soccio City of Melbourne

Sharon Laurence Department of Health Lucinda Young Castlemaine Community

House
Sandra Mashall Department of Health
Tim Owen Department of Health
Kathy McConnell Food Alliance
Debbie Mitchell Department of Health
Joan Nankervis Department of Health
Kelly Neville Department of Health
Lee Choon Siauw Heart Foundation
Felicity Sicari Department of Health
Colin Sindall Department of Health
Julie Woods VicHealth

The Victorian Healthy Eating Enterprise

About this resource
This resource has been developed to support the
prevention workforce of the 14 locally-led Healthy
Together Communities operating in 12 prevention
areas across Victoria.
Healthy Food Connect has been developed as
a model to address local food system change. It
meets the objectives of the Victorian Public Health
and Wellbeing Plan 20112015 (section 7.1 Healthy
eating), which species opportunities including those
focused on supporting improvements in healthy food
supply and access as a key public health priority
area. In the absence of an existing framework, the
Department of Health developed Healthy Food
Connect as one of the suite of Healthy Living
Programs and Strategies to meet this key priority area.
The model draws together knowledge from literature
and projects to provide information and guidance
on how to effectively inuence, activate and create
local food system change, and to facilitate healthier
food access and availability within local communities.
The information contained within this resource will be
particularly useful for those who have not previously
worked in the area of food.
It is anticipated that all prevention areas will utilise this
resource to plan and develop actions suited to local
needs (based on the best available evidence and their
health promotion experience).
The structure of this document is based on the ve
components of the Healthy Food Connect model
(Figure 1), which is described on pages 25.
Figure 1: Overview of Healthy Food Connect model
Undertake
Identify and
a local food
prioritise
access needs
actions
assessment
Sections 12 provide an overview of the model,
along with key background and contextual
information to support implementation
of Healthy Food Connect. This includes
information relating to food and health and
describes healthy food access as it relates to
this model. It provides information on the link
between Healthy Food Connect and other
statewide healthy eating initiatives and how
local governments can support healthy food
access.
Sections 37 provide the necessary
background, key actions, considerations and
resources to assist with implementing the ve
Healthy Food Connect components.
The appendices provide additional information
about how Healthy Food Connect links
to local food systems, planning and the
built environment and references relevant
state and local polices, strategies and 1
legislation. Appendices 2 and 5 showcase
a selection of innovative food initiatives and
additional concepts (and strategies) for your
consideration.
Each section includes a list of resources. These
provide further guidance on undertaking critical
processes, as well as examples of relevant food
projects undertaken in Victoria and overseas
(the United Kingdom and Canada in particular)
that demonstrate how change can be achieved
and embraced in local communities.
Where relevant, this resource makes
reference to information contained within the
relevant Healthy Together Community (HTC)
Implementation Guidelines.
Include
Implement healthy food
Form a
healthy access in local
local food
food access government
network
initiatives policy and
planning
 Section 1: Healthy Food Connect
This section provides information on:
the Healthy Food Connect model
the link between Healthy Food Connect and other
statewide healthy eating initiatives.
Background
Healthy Food Connect has been developed as a
model to address local food system change. It aims
to identify possible activities, strategies and policy
changes that will create supportive environments
to ensure that healthy food choices are the easy
choices. It is well known that eating a wide variety of
healthy foods every day, and living in an environment
that enables easier access to nutritious foods is related
to better health outcomes.
This resource contributes to Healthy Together
Victoria identied priorities and is consistent with the
overarching aims of the Healthy Living Programs and
2 environment that supports healthier food access
Strategies (HLPS), including:
1. building a community-level systems approach
2. increasing healthy eating (with a focus on increasing
fruit and vegetable consumption)
3. achieving a healthy weight in adults and children
(Department of Health 2011a).
Healthy Food Connect aims to:
create supportive environments to make healthy
food choices the easy choices
improve access to a healthy food supply across
all community groups and organisations (including
vulnerable population groups)
inuence policy and develop programs to
strengthen community action.
All initiatives will consider ways to increase healthy
food access (and decrease unhealthy food access)
and have a priority focus on fruit and vegetables.
It will do this using the three Ps necessary to enable
local food system change partnerships, projects
(initiatives) and policy (Winne 2008):
partnerships drawing together producers,
retailers, consumers, local government, community
services and organisations to form local food
networks
The Victorian Healthy Eating Enterprise
projects (initiatives) identifying, prioritising
and delivering programs (guided by local needs,
resources and local food networks)
policy inuencing, developing and implementing
policy to achieve long-term sustainable change.
Healthy Food Connect will link with and utilise other
Victorian Healthy Eating Enterprise (VHEE) initiatives
(discussed later) and other HLPS as part of Healthy
Together Victoria systems approach to prevention.
Much has been learnt over the past 10 years about
what can be done and what could be considered
to improve healthy food access. The Healthy Food
Connect model has considered these learnings, and
built on these existing efforts in its development.
Healthy Food Connect will:
work across all local government departments
(and with existing community organisations
and businesses where relevant) to create an
and choices
promote opportunities and implement actions that
can be driven by the health sector (in partnership
with other council departments, organisations
and businesses) within existing local government
legislation and regulation
promote an evidence-informed and coordinated
approach to implementation and evaluation.
Figure 2 identies the ve components of the Healthy
Food Connect model (and provides an example of the
activities for each).
Despite the components of this model being depicted
in a sequential way, the order (and extent) in which
you undertake these may vary. This will depend on
local priorities and how involved your council has
been with undertaking food-related initiatives and
their level of commitment to these issues. Work
relating to individual components of this model
may already have been completed. For example,
some local governments may already be working in
partnership with or have formed an active local food
network; an existing food system or food access
needs assessment of the local area may have already
conducted, or the development of a food policy may
be underway.
Figure 2: Healthy Food Connect model

Creating supportive environments and better access to healthy food choices

Include
Undertake Implement healthy food
Identify and Form a
a local food healthy access in local
prioritise local food
access needs food access government
actions network
assessment initiatives policy and
planning

supported by the identify and build on existing Examples include: inuence existing
HTC Research prioritise 12 local food local government
fruit and
and Evaluation actions (local food networks and key policies and
vegetable market
Ofcer initiates) integrate with plans (Council
or van
HTC governance plan Municipal
use existing Ensure consistency
structures local food hub Public Health and
recommended with:
Wellbeing Plan)
Municipal Food include a local food
aims of Healthy
Security Scanning representative buying co-ops Develop dedicated
Food Connect
Tool (VLGA) from the or community local government
outcomes Prevention Area supported policy:
build on existing 3
of local food agriculture
local data and draw together food policy
access needs programs
information existing people,
assessment healthy eating
sources programs and Fresh Food
policy (eg.
local food access resources (eg. Recovery
incorporate other healthy food
programs and local government,
HTC data (eg. healthy vending procurement/
policy iniatives food producers,
Healthy Food machine choices catering policy for
and PCM healthy retailers schools,
Basket Survey, LG workplaces
living programs community healthy foods
Fresh Food and funded
and strategies groups and in community
Recovery fruit facilities/events)
agencies and facilities and
and vegetable
local food events
produce mapping)
projects)

Evaluation

Outcomes Local food network action, project delivery, policy change

create supportive environments for healthy eating
improve aceess to healthy foods across all community groups
(including vulnerable population groups)

Healthy Food Connect

 Healthy Food Connect and the Victorian Healthy Eating Enterprise
The Victorian Healthy Eating Enterprise (VHEE) is a new Fresh Food Recovery
initiative to support prevention in Victoria that comprises Victorian Healthy Food Basket Survey
state government initiatives as well as programs targeted Healthy food charter
to the 12 prevention areas. It encompasses a range of
Healthy food procurement for government and
initiatives being undertaken by the Victorian Government
funded services
in partnership with local government, business, industry,
Victorian Healthy Eating Advisory Service (healthy
health professionals and communities underpinned by
eating policy resources).
a shared vision to improve the health and wellbeing of
Victorians through food. Many of the other strategies will have a broader
association, for example, by providing health literacy
Healthy Food Connect is part of the VHEE. Other
education, improvements in food skills or create a
programs and strategies under the VHEE that will
supportive policy environment.
contribute directly to the objectives of Healthy Food
Connect include:

Figure 3: Victorian Healthy Eating Enterprise creating a vibrant healthy eating culture in Victoria

Healthy Food Charter

Statewide initiatives as part of Local initiatives as part of

Healthy Together Victoria Healthy Together Communities

The Achievement Program Jamies Ministry of Food Victoria

(schools, early childhood services,
4 Whole of Health Champions
workplaces, health services and local
communities) community Healthy Living Programs and
Strategies
Victorian Aboriginal Nutrition and
Physical Activity Strategy Fresh Food Recovery
Healthy Food Connect
Victorian Health Promotion Policy
for Children and Young People Starts with Social Marketing
Strategy
Victorian Healthy Food Basket
Healthy Together Dining Award
Survey
Workplaces (under development)
Healthy Food Procurement for
government and funded services Healthy Together Healthy Eating
(under development) Advisory Service
The Achievement Program
Healthy Choices: Healthy Eating
(workplaces)
Policy and Catering Guide for
Schools and early
Workplaces
childhood services Healthy eating and food literacy
in secondary schools
School canteens and other school
food services policy The Achievement Program
(schools, early childhood services)
Healthy Together Healthy Eating
Advisory Services
Health services
Healthy choices: food and drink
guidelines for Victorian public
hospitals

Evaluation

The Victorian Healthy Eating Enterprise

Considerations
Consider who will lead Healthy Food Connect in
your council. It is recommended that a person of
seniority will oversee the overall coordination of all
Healthy Food Connect components.
- Will multiple HTC and council staff be involved?
- Who will undertake which roles? For example,
who will coordinate and/or undertake a local food
access needs assessment, forming a local food
network (building and sustaining relationships
with identied stakeholders) or coordinate the
implementation of local food access initiatives?
- What are their responsibilities, and how will
this be decided?
Consider what communication and coordination
strategies you will use to ensure Healthy Food
Connect is planned and implemented effectively,
particularly if its facilitated by multiple prevention
workers.
Resources
Montague M 2011, Local government and food
security: an evidence review what we know about
what works and what might work. This report was
commissioned by the North & West Metropolitan
Region, Department of Health.
Victorian Local Governance Association 2010,
Municipal food security scanning tool, VLGA.
This document is designed to assist local
government to collect local data on factors
impacting on food security using the Environments
for health framework (natural, built, economic and
social).
VicHealth 2010, Ten ways local government can act
on food security, VicHealth, Victoria.
These documents outline the 10 areas of action
local government can undertake to address food
security, including growing and harvesting food,
incorporating food access into council policies,
and council procurement of healthy and/or locally
produced food.
Department of Health 2012, Victorian Healthy Eating
Enterprise, Prevention and Population Health Branch,
Melbourne, Victoria.
Further information on the HTV strategy for building
a community-level systems approach can be found
in the HTC Module 1: Overview and HTC Module 5
Healthy Living programs and strategies.
5

Donovan J, Larsen K, McWhinnie J 2011, Food-

sensitive planning and urban design: a conceptual
framework for achieving a sustainable and healthy food
system, Heart Foundation in conjunction with VEIL and
VicHealth, Melbourne, Victoria.
This document identies approaches to improve the
design and planning of community infrastructure
and services to increase the availability of food and
decrease the impact of its production, processing
and transport on the natural environment.

Healthy Food Connect

 Section 2: Food and health
The section provides information on:
determinants of healthy eating and food security
how local government can support healthy food
access.
Healthy eating
Good nutrition and eating a wide variety of healthy
foods is a vital component of healthy lifestyles, and
contributes to the overall health and wellbeing of
our community (Department of Health 2012). Why
people make the food choices they do is complex and
includes individual and lifestyle behaviours as well as
environmental factors such as where we live, learn,
work and play. In order to develop effective policies
and strategies to improve access to these foods
(and ultimately inuence consumption), it is important
to understand the commonly reported barriers and
determinants of healthy eating (Figure 4).
6
Key points
Diet-related disease:
Factors associated with eating a poor diet (such as
eating too many foods high in fat and sugar and not
enough fruit and vegetables) contributes to 1516
per cent of the burden of chronic disease (double
any other lifestyle factor) (Department of Human
Services 2005).
Australia is one of the most overweight nations
in the developed world, with over 60 per cent of
adults and one in four children overweight or obese
(Commonwealth of Australia 2010).
In Victoria, fruit and vegetable consumption is
poor among many population groups. Less than
one in 10 Victorian adults meet the recommended
number of serves of fruit and vegetables every day
(Department of Health 2010).

Figure 4: Determinants of healthy eating

Supply
The food available where people
live, learn, work and play
Healthy and unhealthy choices
Shops, markets, community
gard
gardens, home delivery schemes
mes
Cafes
es and
a food outlets
out
Demand
d
Access
The food people want to eat
The food people can easily
Preferences and motivations get to and afford to buy
(family and social norms)
Transport, income
Knowledge, skills and attitudes
Food available in local
Social marketing and
nd neighbourhoods
promotionss

Utilisation
Food storage
Equipment to prepare and
cook food

The Victorian Healthy Eating Enterprise

Food service and retail: How local government can support
For many Australians, fast food has become a healthy food access
common convenience and lifestyle choice, with the
Local government has a statutory function to ensure the
average adult eating out more than four times per
public health and wellbeing of the community under the
week (BIS Shrapnel 2007).
Public Health and Wellbeing Act 2008. Local government
Foods eaten away from home have been shown
has various powers to shape the natural, built, economic
to be more energy dense (up to 65 per cent more
and social environments within their municipalities
kilojoules), of larger portion sizes, and often higher
(Department of Health 2009). With consideration of
in saturated fat and salt than meals prepared at
these four environments for health, local government can
home (Prentice & Jebb 2003; Dunford et al. 2010).
identify ways of increasing the supply of healthy foods
and decreasing the supply of unhealthy foods across
Urban planning and design
the municipality. This may involve simple regulatory
The creation of supportive environments for healthy
amendments that facilitate roadside/farm gate sales or
food access relies on incorporating food into land use
more complex changes such as applying contractual
planning and environmental design (Hengsen 2009).
conditions around healthy food and drink provision through
For most people, access to healthy food is retail outlets in public facilities. By supporting, facilitating
determined by the presence of supermarkets and and leading initiatives, local planning can be inuential in
other stores selling a wide variety of fresh food (Kent improving healthy food access as shown in Figure 5.
et al. 2011). There has been a positive inuence
on the consumption of healthier foods by people Figure 5: Increased community food availability and
access through local government policy and planning
7
who live in close proximity to such stores and have
less access to convenience and fast food outlets
(Larson et al. 2009). Policy and planning

For people in lower income neighbourhoods healthy Local government policies, regulations, programs
and planning to increase food security including:
food options are not always as available locally (and
there is often a greater density of fast food outlets) health planning
(Kent et al. 2011). social planning
strategic planning
Food security ready availability transport planning
and access to healthy foods
The term food security can have many different Methods
meanings. Food security is talked about in local, national Partnerships and cross-disciplinary cooperation
and global contexts. In relation to the HTC and Healthy Urban food production
Food Connect, food security is being referred to as: Community -supported agriculture
Local fruit and vegetable markets
Consistent and equitable access (availability,
Local food networks
affordability) to healthy, culturally appropriate foods
(including fruit and vegetables) for all communities- Planning zones and overlays
sometimes described as nutrition security. Education and skill development programs

Healthy Food Connect does not seek to modify

Outcomes
individual and family characteristics that inuence
dietary behaviour (for example, knowledge, skills and Increased access to a healthy food supply
attitudes). However, other Victorian healthy eating Increased health and wellbeing
initiatives and community nutrition programs may assist Community strengthening
to inuence these factors, as well as the skills and Environmental impact reductions
resources people need to prepare, cook and store food. Reduced socioeconomic and health inequalities
Local economic development

Adapted from: Slade 2008

Food and health

 Community food security consistent and equitable
access to healthy, culturally appropriate foods has many
determinants as described in Figure 4 and sits within a
broader regional, state, national and global food system.
Local government has limited power to address all
determinants of healthy eating and it is important to be
mindful of those additional factors that local government
may nd it more challenging to inuence. These include
rising food, water and fuel costs. Many issues such as
the need for private vehicles to access food in areas
of poor public transport, low income, unemployment,
housing and social support have a direct relationship
with food security, and local government may be
actively involved in developing separate polices and
strategies to deal with these issues. The information
you will collect as part of your local food access needs
assessment may contribute towards this effort.
Legislative powers of local government are shaped
by state legislation and state planning frameworks,
and the interaction between them is complex.
The following box provides examples of how local
government can support healthy food access within
existing legislation. It incorporates the relevant areas
8 of action identied by VicHealths Food for All program
that local government can take to ensure that all
residents, particularly in areas of disadvantage, have
regular access to affordable, culturally appropriate and
healthy food (VicHealth 2010a).
To improve healthy food access local
government can:
develop and support policy, programs and
services that enhance healthy food access
within council plans (including the municipal
public health and wellbeing plan or MPHWP)
which include initiatives that:
- support residents to shop, store, plan and
prepare healthy meals for example, cooking
programs, educational food skill programs or
food rescue (and recovery) programs
- get residents to food and food to residents for
example, providing community transport to get
people to and from local shops and markets
that sell fresh food or key food retail outlets
- -support residents to adopt healthy eating
practices for example, encouraging local
businesses to increase the number of
affordable healthy food options on their menu
- support alternative distribution models for
improving fresh food access.
The Victorian Healthy Eating Enterprise
ensure that processes to undertake precinct or
structure planning identify, zone or designate
sites for fresh food
encourage food retailers to provide transport or
delivery services
ensure that planning processes enable
walkability, cyclability and public transportation
for residents to reach local fresh food retail
outlets or sites of urban production
develop local planning policies to support
community initiatives to grow fruit and
vegetables (within existing land uses) for
example, by incorporating community gardens
into council-owned land, and within the
planning for new residential developments
comply with healthy food provision standards
and guidelines when considering tendering for
the supply of foods to premises owned and
operated by councils for example, leisure
centres and home and community care services
require that council-owned facilities have
registered commercial kitchens
be exible in applying regulations regarding
signage and roadside sales to help facilitate
farm trails and roadside sales.
Local government has limited legislative or
regulatory powers to:
adjust signage regulations to restrict advertising of
fast food outlets (current laws do not distinguish
between healthy and unhealthy food and therefore
councils cannot place restrictions on the advertising
of unhealthy food)
restrict the in-house advertising of unhealthy and
healthy food products in retail and foodservice
improve access to and the affordability of public
transport (for example, routes and fares)
enable mobile roadside trading where food is to be
sold on council-owned land (where local laws do
not allow this to happen)
inuence the placement and density of fast food
outlets within commercial and retail land use zones
allow street and open-space-based food production
such as planting of fruit trees in parks and other
open spaces or the domestic planting of fruit and
vegetable growing on nature strips (where open
space regulations do not allow this to exist within
local planning policies)
 support preservation of agricultural land in close Resources
proximity to urban areas or place limitations on the
Donovan J, Larsen K, McWhinnie J 2011, Food-
extent to which land can be subdivided and sold off
sensitive planning and urban design: a conceptual
as hobby farms that do not produce food (where
framework for achieving a sustainable and healthy food
statements to explicitly support this do not exist
system, Heart Foundation in conjunction with VEIL and
within local planning policies) this may involve
VicHealth, Melbourne, Victoria
creating or strengthening agricultural zoning.
Montague M 2011, Local government and food
Appendix 1 provides additional information about how
security: an evidence review what we know about
Healthy Food Connect ts within the state policy and
what works and what might work. This report was
local food system context. It also contains resources
commissioned by the North & West Metropolitan
and information to inform considerations relating to
Region, Department of Health.
food, planning and the built environment.
The Victorian Local Governance Association, Food
Healthy Food Connect assisting security pages (including links to relevant projects and
local government to improve resources), Victoria.
healthy food access VicHealth 2010, Food for All 20052010 program
Healthy Food Connect can assist local government to evaluation report, Victoria.
improve the health and wellbeing of its communities Clark R, Armstrong R, Waters E 2010, Local
by enabling them to create supportive environments government and obesity prevention: An evidence
and make healthy food choices. Together with the 10 resource. Interventions to prevent obesity in early
areas of action identied by Food for All, Healthy Food years settings; tackling food insecurity and built
Connect can assist local governments to improve environment changes to support physical activity.
healthy food access by: CO-OPS Deakin University.
9
strengthening the capacity of local governments Legislative Council Environment and Planning
to incorporate healthy food access into policy and References Committee 2012, Inquiry into
planning to improve the health and wellbeing of its Environmental Design and Public Health in Victoria.
staff and the community it represents Report no. 1. No. 123 Session 201012. Government
strengthening partnerships between organisations Printer for the State of Victoria.
(including government, not-for-prot and community
health agencies) to improve the coordination of
healthy food access activities
supporting the capacity of local governments to
implement healthy food access initiatives
contributing to the local evidence base by
conducting a local food access needs assessment
and ensuring that programs and policies are well
evaluated.

Food and health

 Section 3: Undertake a local food
access needs assessment
Undertake
Identify and
a local food
prioritise
access needs
actions
assessment
This section describes how to:
undertake a local food access needs assessment
collate and present your assessment ndings.
All initiatives will consider ways to increase healthy
food access (and decrease unhealthy food access)
and have a priority focus on fruit and vegetables.
Conduct your local food access
10
needs assessment
Background
The rst important step in undertaking Healthy Food
Connect is to conduct a local food access needs
assessment. The information collected about your
local food environment (or system) is intended to
be part of the data collected through your HTC
system inventory process (described in the Module 2:
Research and evaluation). Much of this data
may already be collected by your local council
in particular community, health and social planning
departments (and partner organisations).
As the needs and priorities of local communities vary
greatly among local governments, by forming a local
evidence base you will be able to identify and deliver
the most effective initiatives for the area. It will also
help you identify the critical stakeholders to engage
for your local food network.
When undertaking your local food access needs
assessment, consider the following:
Keep the process short and set yourself a
timeframe within which to complete it for example,
allow a maximum of three months.
Collect the information required to develop a broad
understanding of the food environment in your
The Victorian Healthy Eating Enterprise
Include
Implement healthy food
Form a
healthy access in local
local food
food access government
network
initiatives policy and
planning
council municipality. You may then want to undertake
a more detailed assessment of some priority areas
for example those areas where fresh food access
is particularly poor. You may choose to overlay the
information collected with the information contained
within your Preventive health data prole.
Keep the aims of Healthy Food Connect in mind
and identify a priority focus on fruit and vegetables.
If there is not a good source of reliable, quality,
affordable and fresh fruit and vegetables in a local
area then you will need to do one of two things
- encourage and get people to where fruit and
vegetables are available, or
- increase the supply and get more into their
neighbourhood.
Also consider working on ways to decrease the
availability and demand for unhealthy food products.
Partners (including your community health service
and relevant businesses or not-for-prot organisations
along food supply chains) can actively contribute to
the data collection process to enable an integrated
approach to developing the information. It is also
important to engage the local community to ensure
their needs are adequately represented.
Data collection tool
The Municipal food security scanning tool (developed
by the Victorian Local Governance Association (VLGA))
is the recommended data collection tool. It promotes
a food system scanning process that uses the four
environments for health to frame local barriers to food
access and availability. The tool enables councils to
identify where efforts can be focused to address these
barriers, as well as identifying opportunities. It also
provides suggestions about where and how to locate
useful data sources.
This Department of Health have provided each HTC with the scanning booklet and resource manual. There is also
opportunity to receive training and assistance to get started.

Table 1: Example of mapping food-related opportunities against environments for health

Environments for health Opportunities

Natural Local food growers (primary producers)
Built Local food retail, food markets and vending machines, water fountains in
public places
Economic Local retail outlets that provide home food deliveries
Mobile food vans that offer healthy food choices (for example, at community
events)
A review of contractual arrangements, regulations and fees applicable to
foodservice outlets, local markets and mobile food vans (to explore opportunities
to incentivise healthy food options)
Socio-cultural Community programs and services for social food and connectedness
11
Data and information to collect
Municipal-level data
In addition to your local Preventive health data prole, your council will have access to a wide range of data that
relates specically to your council area. It is likely this will include proles and reports on community demographics,
indicators, services and issues.

Table 2: Useful data sources

Demographic information Indicators relating to population (household make-up, employment,

Stakeholder identication
The local food
environment
What healthy food is
available and where?
socioeconomic status and health status)
Relevant organisations and businesses and their role (consider stakeholders
for your local food network)
Who are the community leaders / community advocates / health champions with
expertise and interest complementary to the objectives of Healthy Food Connect?
Location of supermarkets, fruit and vegetable outlets (greengrocers or
produce markets), mobile food traders (refer to fruit and vegetable mapping
considerations below)
Number and type of local food production, distribution or food enterprises
for example, food box delivery programs or food swaps among home growers
Fresh Food Recovery (refer list of reviewed Healthy Living Programs and
Strategies) the mapping of farm-gate fruit and vegetables excess in nine of
the HTC local government areas
Community and school gardens, plus edible landscapes
Food rescue providers (providing fresh fruit and vegetables or low-cost
healthy meals)

Undertake a local food access needs assessment

 What unhealthy food is
available and where?
How much does food cost? Victorian Healthy Food Basket Market Survey
What is happening in the
community educational
programs and facilities?
What is happening in the
community?
What is happening in
council what are the
possible drivers for
change?
Location of large chain food outlets (noting proximity to schools in particular
secondary schools)
Location of other unhealthy food outlets (or points of access including vending
machines)
Determine the balance between healthy and less healthy food options at local
government-sponsored events and local government-operated facilities
Community food programs, services and activities availability and utilisation
Community amenities and facilities (for example, kitchen access) availability
and utilisation
Active community groups that relate to growing and cooking food. What are
their activities, who are they engaged with and networking with?
Local fruit and vegetable producers (farms), food co-operatives
What policies or strategies exist that support healthy food access?
(refer to component 5)

Food outlet mapping considerations mobile fruit and vegetable delivery and vans, local
Classifying and using geographic information system markets, food redistribution agencies?

12 (GIS) mapping to map all food outlets in a municipality
can be a time-consuming exercise. As all activities
should have a priority focus on fruit and vegetables,
if you choose to map, then identifying places where
people can access fresh fruit and vegetables would be
a good starting point.
Where do people shop? What proportion of residents
may shop regularly outside their council area?
How do people get to the shops?
What are the consumer and community food
access needs?

Council has a register of all local food businesses, Key actions

which are often classied according to retail type (for
example, supermarket, greengrocer, mixed business
or other food service). Fruit and vegetable outlets
(and greengrocers), other distribution models or
access options for fruit and vegetables, programs and
services of interest can easily be mapped to create
a visual picture of access. Further investigation is
required to determine the range, quality and price of
fruit and vegetables for sale.
Mapping fast food outlets requires much more time
and can be challenging to undertake. Your Health
atlas data may be able to assist you. It requires you
to determine what foodservice or food retail outlets
you consider as fast or unhealthy food and manually
classify these. In many cases this involves undertaking
a site visit to assess the menu items to determine the
type of takeaway food for sale.
You may want to consider:
Determine the scope of your needs assessment.
Develop a broad understanding of the food
environment in your council municipality rst,
then decide on what area(s) you will focus on.
Refer to the determinants of healthy eating
(discussed in the Food and Health section) to
ensure the data collected considers if and where
your council has the capacity to intervene.
Determine what information about local food
access/systems has already been collected.
Identify any gaps and whether any of this needs
to be repeated. Ensure all information collected
is integrated and considered as part of your
broader system inventory.
Identify and engage relevant stakeholders to
actively participate in the data collection process.
Use the VLGA Municipal food security scanning
tool as a framework to collect your data.

Are all sources and means of fruit and vegetable The next section will discuss how to collate and
access to the community considered for example, present your assessment ndings.

The Victorian Healthy Eating Enterprise

Considerations
Consider allocating the task of coordinating the
data collection to one person. Work closely with
the research and evaluation ofcer, who will have a
good understanding of what data already exists and
where to nd it.
When requesting data from internal departments
and stakeholders, provide them with a clear
explanation of why you need this and by when (to
ensure it is provided in a timely manner). Be realistic
and create value for them by providing them with
a summary of your assessment ndings. This may
benet their work, generate support and build an
understanding of how your work relates to theirs.
Consider what would be the best format for
collating this information and what would make it
easy for council to update it in the future.
Consider how you will facilitate a workshop to
engage relevant council members or to undertake a
community consultation to collect the data you need.
Resources
HTC Module 2: Research and evaluation provides the
framework for your data collection protocols.
Victorian Local Governance Association 2010,
Municipal food security scanning tool, VLGA. This link
provides some useful background information about
this tool. Do not purchase the tool. It will be made
available through the Department of Health.
Collate and present your
assessment ndings
Background
Collating and presenting your assessment ndings in
a logical way will assist you to identify and prioritise
key actions. It will also serve as a conversation starter
within local government, the local food network or the
community more broadly.
There are a number of ways the data collected can be
collated and presented to inform program and policy
development. Taking into consideration what has
already been done, this could include developing a food
access or system prole, a mapping representation
(using GIS) of key food outlets (for example, places of
fruit and vegetable access) or a summary report. When
creating a narrative from the data, it is important to use
language that makes the document useful to the many
stakeholders you are working with.
Over recent years many councils have worked in
partnership with local Primary Care Partnerships or
community health organisations to undertake food
outlet and transportation mapping. The mapping
exercise results in a visual representation of local food
access and also identies retail deserts areas that
are not readily accessible to shops by public transport
or walking. The HTCs are currently working with
Monash University to undertake their Victorian Healthy
Food Basket Survey.
We now know that people who do not own a car
and are dependent on public transport, and who live
in these areas, are at greater risk of food insecurity.
As these areas often have a poorer supply of healthy
food choices (particularly fresh fruit and vegetables),
this mapping enables you to identify and focus your
prevention efforts in priority areas of need (and with
priority populations).
At present the Victorian local planning system
provides limited powers in relation to food and the
built environment, and limited ability to inuence the
retail mix of healthier to less healthy food retail outlets.
In particular, local governments can nd it difcult
13
to prevent a geographical oversupply of businesses
providing fast food outlets (Legislative Council
Environment and Planning references Committee
2012). Overseas there are some emerging examples
of how the food environment (including retail mix
and advertising signage) around schools has been
inuenced (Kent J et al, 2011). However, there are
currently no known examples of how to apply these
learnings or use regulation to positively inuence food
environments around schools in Australia.
Key actions
Develop a municipal food access prole.
Analyse the data to identify the issues that
are having the biggest impact on healthy food
access.
Present and disseminate your food access
prole to key stakeholders to raise awareness
of the key issues and use this to determine
key priorities for action (component 3) and to
inuence policy and planning (component 5).
Undertake a local food access needs assessment
 Considerations
When collating and presenting your assessment
ndings, consider who the target audience is (or
who would nd this information benecial) and what
outcomes are you trying to achieve.
Determine the reporting requirements or format
your council already uses or needs to use. Where
possible, use a similar format and integrate the
information you have collected.
Resources
Food discussion or summary paper, for example:
City of Melbourne Food policy discussion paper
Darebin City Council Food security discussion
paper
Moreland Community Health Service Food security
in Moreland: a needs assessment
HealthWest Healthy foods for healthy communities:
14 issues of food access and availability in the west.
Audit of relevant programs and services, for
example: an audit or compilation of a summary of
food-related programs and services in the local area.
This could include growing and supply, distribution,
cooking and education.
The Victorian Healthy Eating Enterprise
Food access prole, for example;
The Western Metropolitan Region Primary Care
Partnership (HealthWest) food access proles
Food and transport geospatial mapping, for
example:
Mapping food supply and access in Darebin,
City of Darebin
Maribyrnong fruit and vegetable mapping.
VicHealth 2010, Food for All Building the local
picture information sheet, VicHealth, Melbourne.
Victorian Local Governance Association
2008, Municipal food security dimensions and
opportunities. Summary report of the trial RAP
survey Victoria, VLGA, Carlton, Victoria.
Sustain 2006, Reaching the parts. Community
mapping: working together to tackle social
exclusion and food poverty, Sustain, United
Kingdom.
Section 4: Identify and prioritise actions
Undertake
Identify and
a local food
prioritise
access needs
actions
assessment
This section describes how to:
identify and prioritise key actions.
All initiatives will consider ways to increase healthy
food access (and decrease unhealthy food access),
and have a priority focus on fruit and vegetables.
Identify and prioritise actions
Background
Having undertaken your local food access needs
assessment, you will now have a better understanding
of the issues and potential opportunities in order to
determine some key priorities for action. Identifying
these key actions is a complex task. Refer to the
resource allocation approach (outlined in HTC Module
1 Overview) and the considerations listed below to
assist you.
It is important to involve some key stakeholders in this
process. These include some of the same people who
assisted you in undertaking your local food access
needs assessment. What priorities are identied will
determine if any of these stakeholders continue to
engage with the process and become part of your
local food network.
It is worth identifying if any quick wins can help
generate enthusiasm and support, as well as improve
understanding of what you are trying to achieve.
Councils that are well progressed and have been
working in the area of food for a long time may
choose to advocate for and advance food policy in
more challenging areas (Appendix 2). Such additional
activities would only be undertaken if capacity enables
this and when all other Healthy Food Connect
recommendations are completed or well underway.
Include
Implement healthy food
Form a
healthy access in local
local food
food access government
network
initiatives policy and
planning
Minimum requirements
In addition to the one or two key actions (local food
access initiatives) identied, the prevention consortium
members have committed to working towards
becoming health promoting organisations. This
requires a healthy eating policy to be developed and
may include a healthy catering and procurement policy
(discussed in detail in component 5 Include healthy
food access in local government policy and planning).
Key actions
15
Identify one or two key actions (local food
access initiatives) using the criteria below.
Considerations to prioritise key actions:
Initiatives meet the aims of Healthy Food
Connect and the broader prevention effort.
Initiatives are consistent or link in with local
government policy. They also consider the
objectives of other complementary VHEE
initiatives including Fresh Food Recovery
as well as existing local food access programs
and policy.
Initiatives are responsive to identied
community needs (and target priority
populations to reduce health disparities).
Initiatives consider stakeholder support and
capacity (and are collaborative between local
government, community organisations and
private enterprise).
Initiatives are developed based on the local
evidence (for example, local food access needs
assessment information, which considers
local food supply, production and distribution
systems, and food access issues).
Initiatives consider linking in with key HTC
settings.
Identify and prioritise actions
 Resources
Initiatives consider the resources (funding
and/or in-kind) necessary to enable their HTC Module 5: Healthy Living programs and strategies
commencement. Department of Health 2013 Guide to municipal
Initiatives are sustainable to ensure their public health and wellbeing planning. Prevention and
continued success. This may involve Population Health Branch Melbourne, Victoria.
embedding the initiative into policy or as
Sustain 2006, Reaching the parts. Community
part of a revised job description.
mapping: working together to tackle social exclusion
and food poverty, Sustain, United Kingdom. This
Considerations resource also has a number of useful approaches to
Where possible all initiatives should be supported prioritising issues and developing an action plan.
by the strategic directions and policy provided
by council and partner organisations. Refer to
component 5 Include healthy food access in local
government policy and planning.
Classify the timeframe of your interventions into
short, medium and long term (and identify the
planning and implementation evaluation resources
required for these).
16

The Victorian Healthy Eating Enterprise

Section 5: Form a local food network
Undertake
Identify and
a local food
prioritise
access needs
actions
assessment
This section describes how to:
establish a local food network (or strengthen
existing capacity of local food networks), and
develop effective modes of engagement with your
stakeholders.
All initiatives will consider ways to increase healthy
food access (and decrease unhealthy food access)
and have a priority focus on fruit and vegetables.
Form a local food network
Background
The process and timing of forming a local food
network will vary from one local government to the
next. It will depend on whether a local food network
already exists and how relevant this existing group
is to the needs and actions identied for Healthy
Food Connect. You will have consulted with various
stakeholders during the local food access needs
assessment process (component 1) and you may
have sought their expertise again to help identify and
prioritise key actions (component 2).
This informal consultation throughout the journey is
important, but it is crucial to ensure the membership of
the local food network formed is relevant to progress
the priority actions identied. Therefore, if your council
does not already have a local food network with
objectives that complement Healthy Food Connect,
it is recommended that you form one after prioritising
your key actions. This will ensure a targeted approach
to engaging a network that is better able to support
your work.
About local food networks
Food networks (commonly called food coalitions
around the world), are a term used to describe a
group of representatives from a number of sectors
Include
Implement healthy food
Form a
healthy access in local
local food
food access government
network
initiatives policy and
planning
of the food system and or sectors with potential
impact on the food system, and may include
stakeholders from production, processing, distribution,
food retail, foodservice, consumption and waste
management. These groups are formed to work
together towards a common goal, which generally
revolves around creating a local healthy local food
system (North American Food Policy Council 2012).
This often includes ways to improve local access and
maintenance of the availability of nutritious foods.
The concept of local food networks is relatively new
17
in Australia, but there are an emerging number of
networks focusing on local food system action.
However, in the United Kingdom, Canada and North
America coalitions of this type have been in existence
for decades, with the number continuing to grow. The
majority have been established at a grassroots level
driven by collective community interest and action to
generate change in their local food supply.
There is no universal model for establishing and
ensuring the success of a local food network. No
two networks are the same. The way they develop
and progress, and the groups and organisations
involved, are dictated by local circumstances.
Their development depends very much on what
community organisations and networks already exist,
the willingness of councils, private organisations and
businesses to take part, and the level of community
support. Food policy councils: lessons learned (Harper
et al. 2009) and Closing the food gap (chapter 9)
(Winne 2008) provide valuable knowledge on barriers
to, and enabling factors for, forming effective local
food networks. While the lessons contained within
these resources relate to the North American context,
they are still helpful and it is recommended they be
considered before starting or strengthening an existing
local food network.
Form a local food network
 The role of a local food network may include
(Schiff 2008):
improve awareness of the state of the local food
system
building partnerships
contributing to the prioritisation and undertaking
of local strategies and programs that address
food-system-related needs in their community
for example by enhancing capacity, identifying
key partnerships, or providing in-kind support,
resources or funding
contributing to research and evaluation or education
and awareness-raising activities
providing expert advice to government, non-
government and community organisations (based
on the food system data collected or activities
undertaken)
advocating for the principles and actions of healthy
food availability and access to be embedded
through council policy development and reform
removing obstacles to local action by working with
statutory bodies and the private sector.
18
Forming your local food network
A local food network which draws together
stakeholders from sectors across the food system,
planning and health can play a key role in making
healthy food more and unhealthy food less accessible
and available in identied localities. The local food
networks will operate at a high level, providing
leadership and having the potential to inuence key
initiatives and policy development.
Where a local food network already exists, and
their objectives are complementary to Healthy
Food Connect, ensure a representative from the
prevention area is linked in to work collaboratively
with stakeholders. Where local food networks do not
exist, these could be facilitated by a position within the
prevention area or a key stakeholder identied during
your needs assessment.
It is not an easy task to bring a diverse group of
stakeholders together. It requires consideration of
an appropriate way to create a balanced forum for
stakeholders to discuss food-related issues, while
still keeping the aims of Healthy Food Connect the
priority. Leading a successful food network requires
a high level of expertise in community engagement,
partnership formation and stakeholder coordination.
The Victorian Healthy Eating Enterprise
Determining your stakeholders
Food system mapping should identify existing food
networks and potential stakeholders within the
local government area(s). Before engaging potential
stakeholders, it is worthwhile spending time to
undertake early planning and to draft the background,
context and proposed purpose for the network.
This will ensure a targeted approach to identifying
the stakeholders required to address local needs
(based on food system mapping and community
engagement).
Stakeholders may be voluntary (for example,
community organisations and community members),
statutory (local government) or from the private sector
(service and retail). Having the local government
represented on the network provides the opportunity
to inuence policy and decision making.
Representation from a broad range of key
stakeholders across the local food system, local
government and relevant community agencies,
services and programs is important. Appendix 3
provides suggestions of potential stakeholders you
might include.
Key actions
Develop your stakeholder partnership and
engagement strategy (which will include
determining a clear purpose for your group).
Ensure adequate representation of people at a
decision-making (and seniority) level.
Determine who will facilitate the coalition within
your prevention area.
Develop a terms of reference and determine
how frequently the group will meet.
Determine the governance structure, roles and
responsibilities of the coalition stakeholders
(and how individual stakeholders will
contribute).

Key factors for the success of local food
networks (Pope & Lewis 2008, Skelcher
et al. 1996):
A clear agreed purpose. The success of a
good governance model is determined by a
clear agreed purpose (where the vision and
objectives of the group are well articulated).
These can take some time to develop as
groups build these together, strengthening
ownership and ultimately action.
Effective partnerships of engagement. Refer
to HTC Module 3 Principles of engagement,
communication and partnership.
When identifying coalition membership it
is suggested to have approximately one-
third from government and two-thirds from
non-government (Winne 2012). It is also
important to encourage adequate community
participation.
An effective facilitator (or broker). This
person should be able to strengthen working
relationships between stakeholders, generate
trust, encourage information sharing and
build understanding in a purposeful way. It
is benecial if they have a standing in the
community (a position of leadership and good
local knowledge of the key issues). An effective
facilitator will
- foster cooperation
- ensure actions are progressed and
completed
- contribute to and build capacity
- navigate bureaucracy as required
- continually identify opportunities and
resources.
A strong authorising environment. This can be
achieved by having the right decision-makers
at the table who can actively contribute their
involvement and resources.
Considerations
Local government and HTC partner organisations
may already have working relationships formed
with stakeholders of interest. These may have been
identied in conducting your local food access
needs assessment. If not, they may be worth
considering.
How will this local Healthy Food Connect network
(local food network) link into the other governance
structures of your prevention area (for example, the
prevention partnership group that will be engaging
with mutual stakeholders)?
Will the stakeholders be able to commit the time
required to be actively involved in the network?
What existing local networks may the stakeholders
already be part of?
Determine processes for proactive conict
management and resolution. This will assist points
of contest to be managed before a critical point is
reached.
Resources
HTC Module 3: Principles of engagement, 19
communication and partnership
Harper A, Shattuck A, Holt-Gimenez E, Alkon A,
Lambrick F 2009, Food policy councils: lessons
learned, Food First. Institute for Food and
Development Policy, Oakland, CA.
Winne M 2008, Closing the food gap resetting the
table in the land of plenty, Beacon Press, Boston.
City of Vancouver Food Policy Council
Toronto Food Policy Council
Sydney Food Fairness Alliance
Food Fairness Illawarra
Form a local food network
 Section 6: Implement healthy food
access initiatives
Undertake
Identify and
a local food
prioritise local food
access needs
actions network
assessment
This section describes how to:
collate information and ideas for implementing
initiatives to increase healthy food access
how to deliver programs (healthy food access
initiatives).
All initiatives will consider ways to increase healthy
food access (and decrease unhealthy food access)
and have a priority focus on fruit and vegetables.
20
Implement healthy food access
initiatives
Background
To ensure the successful implementation of your
healthy food access initiatives, work collaboratively
with your stakeholders and use best practice methods
of implementation to assist you.
Several of the Healthy Living Program and Strategies
(HLPS) also address policy or legislative actions and/
or community strengthening activities to increase
opportunities for healthy eating and food access.
Where appropriate ensure you link to these that assist
to meet the objectives of Healthy Food Connect.
The resources contained in Appendix 4 and 5 are
provided to assist you with implementation. Appendix
4 provides details of the organisations and resources
that can support your work by providing information,
advocating or working collaboratively in areas
complementary to Healthy Food Connect. Appendix 5
contains a selection of inspirational case studies from
Victoria and other states to demonstrate the ways
in which the built environment, healthy eating policy/
planning, and community action can support the
supply and access of healthy food. The case studies
provide a summary of the key steps (or actions) others
The Victorian Healthy Eating Enterprise
Include
Implement healthy food
Form a
healthy access in local
food access government
initiatives policy and
planning
have taken to get an initiative up and running. Many of
these initiatives have identied a common process.
Key actions
Develop a clear plan of action for implementing
your initiatives.
Link these initiatives in with your broader
partnership and engagement strategy to inform
the community, other stakeholders and your
prevention partners of your progress and
keep them engaged for example, through
newspaper articles, YouTube video clips,
community notice boards and/or developing
inserts for community organisation newsletters.
Considerations
What role will you undertake in delivering the
program? Will you take the lead in implementation
or will you facilitate and support the capacity
of other organisations (and agencies) to deliver
community-based interventions?
Healthy Food Connect should also consider
linking with the Australian Government Healthy
Communities Initiative for those local governments
who have received the funding.
Resources
HTC Module 5: Healthy Living programs and strategies
Donovan, J Larsen K, McWhinnie J 2011, Food-
sensitive planning and urban design: a conceptual
framework for achieving a sustainable and healthy
food system, Heart Foundation in conjunction with
VEIL and VicHealth, Melbourne (section 5 contains
a selection of case study examples).
Section 7: Include healthy food access
in local government policy and planning
Undertake
Identify and
a local food
prioritise local food
access needs
actions network
assessment
This section describes how to:
integrate Healthy Food Connect (and its healthy
food access initiatives) into council planning and
policy
develop a healthy eating (catering and
procurement) policy for your council.
All initiatives will consider ways to increase healthy
food access (and decrease unhealthy food access)
and have a priority focus on fruit and vegetables.
Include healthy food access in
council policy and planning
Background
Working across council departments to embed the
principles of healthy food access into council policy
and plans will ensure the responsibility is everyones
business. Focus your activity on the councils three
legislative plans the municipal public health and
wellbeing plan (MPHWP) in particular, but also the
council plan and the municipal strategic statement
(MSS) which set the overarching policy directions and
actions for local governments. While local governments
also develop a number of other strategies, these high-
level policies drive the actions within these.
The MPHWP is required of councils under the Public
Health and Wellbeing Act 2008. The Act requires
councils to prepare a MPHWP within 12 months of
each general election of the council. In preparing a
health and wellbeing plan, the Act requires councils
MPHPW to be consistent with its council plan and its
MSS. The Act enables the inclusion of public health
and wellbeing matters in the council plan providing the
matters required to be covered in the MPHWP have
been adequately addressed in the Council Plan or
Include
Implement healthy food
Form a
healthy access in local
food access government
initiatives policy and
planning
other strategic plan prepared and approved by council
(s. 27). The Environments for Health municipal public
health and wellbeing planning framework (Department
of Human Services 2001), is a standard reference
for councils planning for municipal public health and
wellbeing. The HTC prevention workforce can work
with council staff responsible for the development and
review of the MPWHP to strengthen councils planning
for public health and wellbeing and its implementation.
21
The way councils plan and operate will vary. They will
have different strategic priorities depending on the
needs of their communities. Some policies will have
well-dened actions (and allocate resources and lead
departments), others will have broader statements of
commitment.
When identifying these priorities, consider how
they may relate to the objectives of Healthy Food
Connect. Identifying potential hooks will provide
you with the leverage required to work collaboratively
with other departments when policies are reviewed.
Council values can be an enabling factor in achieving
integration of health and wellbeing in council
strategic planning. Some of these opportunities may
relate to health and wellbeing where healthy food
access can be implied and considered, or they may
relate to broader agendas for example, liveability,
transportation, community connectedness, economic
development or sustainability.
Many local governments in Victoria have already
acknowledged the importance of food in their local
community and many are already taking action. Some
now have a better understanding of food availability and
access in general and how this relates to their role in
improving the health and wellbeing of their community.
Others have demonstrated their support with
statements of commitment incorporated into MPHWPs.
Include healthy food access in local government policy and planning
 Example: City of Whittlesea Council Plan
(Including MPHWP) 2013 - 2017
In their Council Plan 2013-2017 which includes
their MPHWP, Council has several goals to
increase access and availability of healthy,
affordable food including fresh fruit and vegetables
in areas of identied need. Actions include:
Map access to fruit and vegetables across
municipality.
Scoping to explore models to address food
insecurity and increase access to healthy,
affordable, culturally appropriate food relevant
to local context.
Undertake community consultation.
Establish and coordinate a Food Coalition and
relevant working group.
Implement a project which increases access to
fresh fruit and vegetables in areas of identied
need.
Explore opportunities to collaborate with
the wholesale fruit and vegetable market to
address food insecurity through redistribution of
22
fruit and vegetables.
Some Primary Care Partnership plans have also
identied improving access to nutritious foods as a
health priority area. Some councils have developed
an integrated food policy while others have developed
food security policies, or have integrated food into a
number of high-level council policies.
Example: The City of Melbourne Food
Policy, endorsed by Council in June 2012.
The City of Melbourne food policy provides the
vision and framework to guide coordinated action
and decision making to ensure there is sufcient
access to good food for all of the community, now
and into the future. The council is in the process
of developing a food policy action plan, which will
outline how the policy is going to be implemented.
Some of the ambitions identied in its plan include:
improve and promote the availability of
nutritious and sustainably produced food
options in the municipality
increase food production within the City of
Melbourne
The Victorian Healthy Eating Enterprise
increase the opportunities for city residents
and visitors to purchase local and regionally
produced food
encourage shared celebrations of food that
bring people together, strengthen social
inclusion and build connected communities.
There continues to be some debate about the
benets of incorporating food issues into existing
council policies versus the benets of developing a
stand-alone policy on food. Both approaches have
advantages and disadvantages, and the preferred
approach for a particular local government area
should be informed by whether or not the council
has an integrated council planning process. If the
council consults broadly across the organisation when
undertaking its planning, an approach that integrates
food within existing policies may be most appropriate.
Regardless of the process undertaken, it is important
to consider the development of an action plan to guide
the coordination and implementation of strategies to
adhere to the policy.
Key actions
Familiarise yourself with the policy and planning
phase within your council. Refer to your
councils organisational chart to identify which
areas of council are responsible for developing
and reviewing these policies.
Refer to your councils high-level plans including
the council plan and MPHWP
- achieve a broad understanding of what the
current issues and priorities are
- identify any references to healthy food access,
and potential levers to support your work.
A number of examples for how these plans (and
others) can be inuenced are provided below.
Map or diarise the cycle of planning and review
and the key contact for who is leading the
review process for each key document you
intend to inuence. Ensure they keep you
informed of opportunities for consultation and
review (noting the role of the HTC staff during
policy reviews will vary depending on existing
council resources and processes).
Work collaboratively across council departments.
Identify internal stakeholders with expertise,
interest and capacity to assist you with your work.

Integrate the use of the Healthy Food Connect
model into local government health and
wellbeing planning to strengthen the councils
commitment to address healthy food access.
Where possible allocate resources to support
this.
Pinpoint any other key plans specic to your
council and identied actions that you could
inuence. A number of examples are provided
in the considerations section below.
Considerations
Become familiar with the policy and planning
terminology of your council. Understand what your
council identies as a plan, policy or strategy (and
when these terms are used interchangeably) so you
are speaking the same language.
Translate and communicate healthy/unhealthy
food access issues into their language too. Speak
about healthy eating and food access in regard to
the environment or workplace productivity/local
economy.
When inuencing council policy, understand how
your work relates to the councils core business
and priorities. Clearly articulate these links in writing
within your partnership and engagement strategy.
Refer to your councils website policy or
publications page to identify which policies are
public documents. This will give you an indication of
their importance.
Work closely with your council colleagues in
particular those who have authority for planning
(including health, social, community, transport and
retail).
A specic food policy could be considered if
there is high-level support and demonstration of
commitment that your council would use it.
Key council plans and policy to consider
All initiatives will consider ways to increase healthy
food access (and decrease unhealthy food access)
and have a priority focus on fruit and vegetables.
The following list provides an example of council plans
and policy that may be of relevance and provides
suggestions for how you might inuence these (based
on the aims of Healthy Food Connect).
Include healthy food access in local government policy and planning
Municipal public health and wellbeing plan
(MPHWP)
This plan can provide a summary of the key issues
and evidence about healthy food access, as well as
identied actions/strategies (and allocated resources)
to enable this. Use the information collected from
your local food access needs assessment and priority
areas for action to do this. Supporting action and
implementation documents could expand to include
reference to specic key actions and initiatives the
council could take such as:
Make reference to Healthy Food Connect as a
model to support improving healthy food access.
Incorporate statements to ensure access to
nutritious foods for all population groups.
Provide and promote healthier food choices and
decrease unhealthy food choices (referring to your
healthy eating (catering and food procurement
policy)).
Provide tailored community programs focused on
healthy eating and improving healthy food access.
Local planning policy framework (LPPF) and the
municipal strategic statement (MSS) 23
The local planning policy framework can promote
strategies that focus on the planning and creation of
residential environments where everyone can access
places to purchase and grow fresh, affordable and
nutritious food. Food-sensitive planning and urban
design (Donovan et al. 2011, p. 21-23) provides some
specic considerations of how you can incorporate the
principles of food into land use, retail planning policy,
open space and urban design guidelines.
Examples include the following:
Open space (parks and gardens)
Incorporate strategies for edible planting,
community gardens and/or farmers markets into
outdoor spaces.
Transport policy (including walking/cycling/
public transport)
Ensure food retail and foodservice is linked with
accessible transport modes (including public
transport) to ensure easy and equitable access for
all the community.
Food and agriculture planning policy
Incorporate strategies that integrate urban food
production (including fruit and vegetables) into
streetscapes.
 Councils that have valuable arable areas of land
and water resources that could be designated for
growing food could consider applying for a Special
Use Zone as Cardinia Shire Council has done in
Schedule 1: Horticultural preservation (Cardinia
Shire Council 2009)
Incorporate the use of practice resources (such
as Food-sensitive planning and urban design) into
the LPPF. These could be incorporated in the way
councils have amended their LPPF to incorporate
health urban design principles. For example, Bass
Coast Shire Council amended its MSS to include
the Healthy by design guidelines (to promote active
living) as a checklist in new urban developments
and residential subdivisions for providing
appropriate community facilities (Bass Coast Shire
Council 2009).
Municipal early years policy
Work with councils early childhood and maternal
health services to incorporate the principles
of Healthy Food Connect within this plan for
example, to ensure every child has access to the
food and nutrition that he or she requires for good
24 health and wellbeing.
All licensed childrens services, under the National
Quality Standards, are required to provide
environments that support healthy eating. Councils
municipal early years policy could make reference to
this.
For other child and family services and programs,
councils municipal early years policy could include
an objective/action that these other family services
should have a healthy eating policy that promotes
nutritious foods and healthy eating.
Provide tailored community programs focused on
healthy eating and improving healthy food access -
for example, encourage licensed childrens services
to participate in the Achievement Program.
Food procurement
Develop a healthy food procurement policy that
requires leisure centres and sporting facilities to
provide and promote healthy food and drink options
(and limit unhealthy options) as part of their
funding/contract requirements.
Community strengthening
Your community strengthening policy could provide
opportunities for strengthening connection with
neighbours and the community for example,
through initiatives that encourage sharing and
swapping fruit and vegetables.
The Victorian Healthy Eating Enterprise
Resources
HTC Module 4: Health promoting communities
provides additional information on municipal public
health and wellbeing planning and the role of HTCs.
The Victorian Healthy Eating Advisory Service and the
Achievement Program can help with developing and
implementing the healthy food access related policies
and initiatives in childrens settings (and ensuring links
to its municipal early years policy).
VicHealth 2010, Food for All resource Policy and
plans: incorporate food security into council policy and
plans, Melbourne, Victoria.
Section 4 (page 21) of the Heart Foundations Food-
sensitive planning and urban design : a conceptual
framework for achieving a sustainable and healthy
food system.
City of Melbourne Food policy
Maribyrnong City Council Food security policy
City of Casey Food security policy
City of Yarra Urban agriculture guidelines
Develop a healthy eating policy
Background
Healthy eating is the foundation of a healthy population
and a productive workforce (Department of Health
2011a). As part of the HTC, prevention consortium
members have committed to working towards
becoming health promoting organisations. This will
involve developing a workplace healthy eating policy
(which may include a healthy catering and a broader
food procurement policy).
This policy will help drive culture change and show
leadership by promoting and providing healthy food
choices for staff and the community, and is the best
way to ensure long-term commitment to healthier food
and drink choices.
Council healthy eating policy can:
ensure provision of healthy food choices in
cafeterias and vending machines as a contract/
tender requirement for local government-funded
services (including leisure services)
- Swan Hill Rural City Council has placed limits on
high-sugar, high-fat products to increase the sales
of fresh food in the canteen of a council-operated
leisure centre. It did this through applying a healthy
food clause between the council and its supplier.
 - The City of Melbourne has improved access
to nutritious foods and drinks (and decreased
access to less healthy options) in selected vending
machines in some of its funded services. These
include recreation centres and health facilities
including The Royal Dental Hospital and Baker IDI.
ensure healthy food choices are provided in council-
managed services such as Home and Community
Care services and childrens programs and activities
ensure healthy food is provided and promoted at
external council functions and community events
ensure the healthy eating policy is integrated as
part of the councils broader corporate workplace
preventive health policy (for all council staff).
Considerations
Does the healthy catering and procurement policy
consider the cultural needs of the workforce and the
community (and promote healthy food choices that are
socially and culturally acceptable to them)?
Can you learn any lessons or draw inspiration and
support from existing settings that have successfully
implemented healthy catering/food service policy (such
as a local school canteen, or other workplace)?
Are there existing programs, organisations (in addition
to the prevention workforce and Victorian Healthy
Eating Advisory Service) that are working locally in this
area that you can integrate/coordinate efforts with?

Resources
Key actions
Victorian Healthy Eating Advisory Service. This service
Identify which council department(s) and funded
managed by Nutrition Australia and can support
external organisations are responsible for or
workplaces to implement healthy eating policies and
involve food procurement/provision and what
provide and promote healthier foods. It provides
policies and processes are already in place.
a range of useful resources developed by many
Actively engage all relevant internal and external organisations that promote a healthier food supply.
stakeholders who may need to be involved in These include the Healthy Choices: Healthy Eating
developing the policy (such as food suppliers, Policy and Catering Guide for Workplaces. 25
businesses or external services who will be Healthy Food Charter
required to follow the policy) and determine how
you will involve them in the development process. Healthy Choices: Food and Drink Guidelines for
Victorian Hospitals
Ensure the policies developed consider other
National Health and Medical research Council (2013)
relevant Victorian policy and guidelines for
Australian Dietary Guidelines. Canberra: National
example, Healthy Choices guidelines and the
Health and Medical Research Council
principles of the Victorian Healthy Food Charter.
Determine a policy implementation and
communication plan. This should consider a
strategy to ensure an awareness of the policy
is communicated to all relevant stakeholders
including department managers (and their
staff), food suppliers and foodservice (such as
cafeteria staff and the community consumers).
Ensure there are appropriate resources, support
and commitment for implementing the policy
(making the actual changes to the food and
drink provided). Draw on the resources provided
Healthy Choices: Healthy Eating Policy and
Catering Guidelines for Workplaces (currently
in development), as well as the guidelines and
resources, available via the VHEAS website.
Determine measures for the policys
effectiveness and a plan for ensuring ongoing
monitoring and evaluation. Has the policy led to
healthier food and drink choices?

Include healthy food access in local government policy and planning

 Section 8: Evaluation and funding
Evaluation
Initiatives undertaken as part of Healthy Food Connect
will be evaluated as part of the broader system
evaluation framework under the HTV initiative which is
supported by the Centre of Excellence in Intervention
and Prevention Science (CEIPS).

Resources
PCM Module 2: Research and evaluation provides
more information on the role of CEIPS and the
Research and Evaluation Ofcers.

Funding
The prevention areas can obtain funding to undertake
initiatives to implement Healthy Food Connect through
the HTC Healthy Living Programs and Strategies.

26

The Victorian Healthy Eating Enterprise

Appendix 1: The food system,
planning and the built environment
This section describes how to: Key points
the food system and state context More local governments, organisations, agencies,
businesses and individuals are appreciating the
planning and the built environment.
connections between local farmers, healthy food
and healthy communities.
The food system The Australian food supply chain is complex and
It is useful to have an understanding of the local food challenging to inuence. The supermarket sector is
system because many of the Healthy Food Connect substantial, with impacts for all sectors along the
initiatives will work across various local food supply food chain.
chains and activities. Victoria is made up of many local
Victoria is one of Australias biggest food producers
or community food systems, is served by a regional
and exporters with dairy, meat and grains being the
food system, and ts within a national and global food
main agricultural exports, and Victoria producing a
system. The food system includes many activities
signicant proportion of Australias fruit and vegetables
from production to supply (Figure A-1), all of which
(Department of Primary Industries 2009). Protecting
can affect food accessibility in different ways and
and preserving Victorias arable food-growing land is
subsequently health. The way consumers eat (prepare
important now, as well as ensuring a local food supply
and consume) food is also part of the food system
of fresh fruit and vegetables for generations to come. 27
(City of Melbourne 2011).

Figure A-1: The food system

Compost
ing,
rec
yc
lin
g
Distributing
an
d
wa
ste

Inputs
man

Retailing Growing
food
agement

Food
system

Eating Processing

Preparing

Source: Michigan Good Food Charter

Appendix 1: The food system, planning and the built environment

 Commonwealth and state context
Responsibility for legislation, policy and activities
across the food system span across local, state and
federal governments as well as the private sector.
Different sectors will have varying objectives in relation
to food and the food system for example, health,
economic, environmental and social. Figure A-2
illustrates the types of departments/areas involved
and these are just at the state government level.
The Public Health and Wellbeing Act and associated
Victorian Public Health and Wellbeing Plan 20112015
can be used to drive the actions required to create
supportive environments to support improving access
to a healthy food supply.

Figure A-2. How state government is involved and responsible for the food system

Production Manufacturing Distribution Retail Access Consumption

Whole-of-government coordination

Energy

Water and waste

Education, healthy eating,

Skills, industry, TAFE and universities
cooking, gardening
28
Agriculture Education
and sheries, Investment Logistics Urban planning and behaviour
biosecurity change

Land use
Food Industries Food safety Food safety
planning

Water, land
Freight, including emissions, capacity and vulnerability Chronic
health,
biodiversity, Food security disease and
ecosystem nutrition
Emergency responses, stocks, spoilage, logistics
services, re
management,
climate Emergency
Procurement
adaptation food relief

Community
development

Getting to
food how
far, choice
of transport
modes

The Victorian Healthy Eating Enterprise


Key Victorian Acts
Public Health and Wellbeing Act (2008):
This act is focused on creating supportive
environments for health, developing and
implementing local health policy, monitoring
and enforcing food safety standards and
facilitating and supporting local agencies with
an interest in local public health. It states that
councils have a statutory function to create an
environment that supports and strengthens the
health of the local community.
Transport Integration Act (2010):. The Transport
Integration Act 2010 addresses the social,
economic and environmental impacts of
transport planning and seeks to maximise the
recognised benets of integrated transport for
the Victorian community. A core premise of the
Transport Integration Act is the recognition that:
The transport system should provide for the
effective integration of transport and land use
and facilitate access to social and economic
opportunities [Part 2 Sec 11 (1)]
Climate Change Act (2010): Local governments
must consider the impact of climate change
on the four Environments for health when
developing its MPHWP.
Planning and Environment Act (1987): This act
provides the states framework for residential
and industrial development. Planning law and
policy shapes the design and liveability of
neighbourhoods, suburbs, cities and regions.
In carrying out its planning functions under the
Planning and Environment Act 1987, a council
has two key roles:
- As the planning authority, a council sets the
strategic policy framework for the municipality
and initiates changes to the planning
scheme.
- As the responsible authority, a council
administers the planning scheme for its
municipality and makes decisions on
individual applications for a planning permit.
It is also useful to be aware of the following federal
government initiatives.
Food and Health Dialogue: This is a joint industry,
retailer, public health and government partnership
focused on a voluntary reformulation program
across a range of commonly formed foods.
Appendix 1: The food system, planning and the built environment
The Australian Dietary Guidelines: These
guidelines that were revised in 2013 by the National
Health and Medical Research Council provide
the evidence on which to inform nutrition-related
policy. The appendices contain a section on dietary
choices and the environment that recognises an
emerging interest in the environmental impact of our
food choices (eatforhealth.gov.au)
Food, health, planning and the built
environment
The Victorian Public Health and Wellbeing Plan
(Department of Health 2011b, p. 71) identies the
opportunity to support local councils and urban
planners to enhance supply of and access to nutritious
foods through promoting the uptake of existing tools
including Food-sensitive planning and urban design
(Donovan et al. 2010). It also identies the need for
the health sector to engage systematically across
government and with other sectors to address the
health and wellbeing dimensions of their activities
(Department of Health 2011a).
Creating supportive environments for healthy
29
food access relies on incorporating food into local
and regional land use planning and policy and
environmental design (VicHealth 2010b). Planning
processes enabling a mix of land uses that reduce
the distances between food production, points of sale
and consumers will improve local access to healthier
food choices (Hensgen 2009). Healthy Food Connect
provides an opportunity through land use and urban
planning to capitalise on the growing community
interest in food, particularly in relation to health, the
environment and production practices. The prevention
workforce can work collaboratively with planners to
support, facilitate and lead local food initiatives by
using existing resources including Food-sensitive
planning and urban design.
Food-sensitive planning and urban design
Food-sensitive planning and urban design is a
resource and an approach that the prevention
workforce could use in their prevention areas to
address food access, supply and resilience derived
from a healthy and sustainable food system.
As part of the Healthy Food Connect initiative, this
resource will enable the prevention workforce to
talk with people who are traditionally outside the
health realm such as strategic planners, architects,
urban designers, engineers, policymakers, as well as
 community members and elected representatives
in considering the food system when developing their
programs and policies.
The resource provides a framework that centres on
a suite of principles and a matrix, as well as urban
design and planning guidance, an evidence base and
suite of case studies. The matrix is to be used as a
tool for considering each stage of the food system
(producing food; processing and transporting food;
consumer access and utilisation; waste and reuse)
and cross-referencing these against each of the four
planning objectives (health and fairness; sustainability
and resilience; livelihoods and opportunity; amenity
and community). It provides an approach to exploring
how a healthy and sustainable food system can be
further developed in the local context.
The resource draws together the issues of public
30 health, climate change, sustainability and peak oil,
exploring the relevance of these issues to a healthy
and sustainable food system and subsequently a
food-secure local population. It also provides a section
on putting it into practice, which aims to provide
opportunities where inuencing planning and urban
design processes can occur, as well as case studies
to illustrate action already taking place in both Australia
and overseas. A comprehensive evidence base is also
provided.
The Victorian Healthy Eating Enterprise
The resource can be an enabler for putting the health
benets of a healthy and sustainable food system
on to the agenda of decision-makers outside of the
health realm. It can enable discussions with local
food networks, elected members, local government
inter-departmental working groups and with the wider
community.
Resources
Donovan J, Larsen K, McWhinnie J 2011, Food-
sensitive planning and urban design: a conceptual
framework for achieving a sustainable and healthy food
system, Heart Foundation in conjunction with VEIL and
VicHealth, Melbourne.
Larsen K, Ryan C, Abraham A 2008, Sustainable and
secure food systems for Victoria: What do we know?
What do we need to know? VEIL Research Report No.
1 (summary)
Carey R, McConnell K 2010, A resilient fruit and
vegetable supply for a healthy Victoria: working
together to secure the future, Food Alliance.
Planning Futures 2009, Planning for Health. A study
on the integration of health and planning in South
Australia. Prepared for South Australia Health,
Adelaide.
Appendix 2: Other healthy food
access considerations
This section presents a number of concepts and ideas
that could be explored further.
Production and distribution
Integrating edible landscapes into new
developments (for example, Food-sensitive planning
and urban design section 5 VicUrban Meridian
case study).
Planning for productive urban spaces and regions
identifying ways local government can improve
access to healthy food through strategic and land
use planning (for example, rooftop gardens or edible
nature strips), conducting land use audits to locate
suitable plots of land for food-growing initiatives.
Mobile fresh food vendors exploring home delivery
distribution options.
Farm to school/workplace programs schemes
that source fruit and vegetables direct from farmers
for school canteens or workplaces, or are made
available to employees for purchase.
Retail
Initiatives that develop and strengthen partnerships
with local fruit and vegetable retailers (for example,
Go for your lifes Community guide to working with
your local independent greengrocer to increasing
fruit and vegetable consumption).
New York City Food Retail Expansion to Support
Health (FRESH) program. The FRESH program is
open to grocery store operators renovating existing
retail space or developers seeking to construct or
renovate retail space that will be leased by a full-line
grocery store operator in New York. Stores that
benet from the program must fall within designated
FRESH-eligible areas. For further information
about the program visit <www.nyc.gov/html/misc/
html/2009/fresh.shtml>
31
Appendix 2: Other healthy food access considerations
 Appendix 3: Local food
network stakeholders
The following is a list of potential stakeholders you
might consider when forming your local food network.
Food system:
Food producers, growers, local farmers
Food businesses: fruit and vegetable retailers,
local markets (council may have a traders network
through which you could seek potential contacts),
food service outlets, local supermarkets
Local community gardeners
Local government:
Social, health or community planning
Planning department urban or strategic planner
Representatives from relevant Aboriginal & Torres
Strait Islander organisations and networks
- AACHOs
- Local Aboriginal organisations and Local
Indigenous Networks (refer to your local
Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander community
information guide, developed for the prevention
workforce and prevention partners, available on
the HTC online forum).
Representatives from relevant sectors:
Childcare
School
Workplace

Community groups: Consumers:

Fresh food recovery organisations Community members
32 Local food network representatives
Local community food projects (for example, food
swaps or community kitchens)
Community health centre or Primary Care
Partnership representatives (for example, health
promotion or projects worker with a focus on food)
Transition towns or sustainability group
representatives

The Victorian Healthy Eating Enterprise

Appendix 4: Resources to support
Healthy Food Connect
This section provides details about some of the
organisations and resources that can support your
work by providing information, advocating or working
collaboratively in areas complementary to Healthy
Food Connect. This is not an extensive list and there
are many more organisations that are actively working
in this area.
Organisations and groups
CERES (Community Environment Park, or Centre
for Education and Research in Environmental
Strategies): CERES is an award-winning urban
environmental centre located in urban Brunswick
East, Victoria. It has a series of green technology
displays, buildings, education and training programs
and social enterprises (CERES Organic Market,
Caf, Permaculture Nursery and Fair Food organics
delivery) which provide education and demonstration
in the areas food security, sustainable agriculture,
energy efciencies, renewables and water
conservation in action. For further information visit
<www.ceres.org.au>.
Cultivating Community: Cultivating Community is
an innovative non-prot organisation that develops
and supports community gardens and local food
projects such as school gardens (edible classrooms),
enabling community food systems (the ways in
which people and communities interact to improve
approaches to growing (it coordinates the Growers
and Eaters Forum), distributing, preparing, eating
and recycling food). For further information visit
<www.cultivatingcommunity.org.au>.
Eaterprises: Connects farmers and eaters by
identifying opportunities and working solutions
involved with looking at direct marketing and exchange
systems, working on making them less time-
consuming, more effective and straightforward for
producers and vastly more accessible and convenient
for local businesses and eaters. For more information
visit <www.eaterprises.com.au>.
Fresh food recovery organisations: SecondBite,
Foodbank Victoria and FareShare
These organisations support recovering unused
fresh food and create links with community-based
initiatives to facilitate distribution (and therefore
increase community access) to this food. SecondBite
and Foodbank have well-established relationships
with major supermarkets and fresh food markets and
are working to increase partnerships with local and
regional food growers. FareShare utilises recovered
food to provides free, tasty, nutritious meals to the
community. For more information visit:
SecondBite <www.secondbite.org>
Foodbank Victoria <www.vrfb.com.au>
FareShare <www.fareshare.net.au>
Heart Foundation: Provides a range of guidelines
and information that can be used by the prevention
workforce and community to enable planning for
healthier environments and supporting policy to inform
healthier food choices. They have a range of resources
that can also assist in developing healthy eating
33
and catering policies for local governments to use
in the workplace, in their facilities and at community
events. For more information email <nutrition.vic@
heartfoundation.org.au>.
Melbourne Wholesale Fruit and Vegetable and
Flower Markets: The Melbourne Markets is the
central wholesale trading and distribution centre for
Victorias fresh produce industry. The Melbourne
Market Authority is responsible for managing the site
and its operations which include the Wholesale Fruit
and Vegetable Market and the National Flower Centre
plus an extensive range of associated warehousing
and distribution facilities. It is one of six central fresh
produce markets in Australia.They were a major
partner together with the Heart Foundation in the
Just Add Fruit and Veg campaign, funded by the
Department of Health, to promote and improve access
to fruit and vegetables.
The Food Alliance: The Food Alliance is an Australian
organisation working to achieve a food system that
ensures sustainable food security and healthy eating
for the Victorian population. The alliance takes an
innovative approach to improve local and state-based
food systems, making food systems healthier, more
environmentally sustainable while building regional
food economies. It promotes integrated policy
solutions that realise multiple benets across the food
Appendix 4: Resources to support Healthy Food Connect
 system. The Food Alliance has been actively involved
in developing several position papers, policy briefs
and submissions in support of developing policies
and legislation that improves the food and agriculture
system in Victoria. For more information visit <www.
foodalliance.org.au>.
Municipal Association of Australia: The MAV
advocates on behalf of local government to improve
community health through public health regulations
and plans. Developing frameworks, case studies and
guides is just one way they assist councils with their
own health policies. The MAV have been working in
partnership with VicHealth on the development of a
guide for healthy eating to support local government.
34
The Victorian Healthy Eating Enterprise
Victorian Eco-Innovation Lab (VEIL): VEIL has
led and been involved in much work that focuses
on increasing understanding and awareness of
innovations to develop more sustainable and resilient
food systems. This includes undertaking and
publishing research on food supply and planning. For
more information visit <www.ecoinnovationlab.com>.
Victorian Local Governance Association: VLGA has
a role in supporting local governments to act upon
their whole-of-population mandate and can improve
community health and wellbeing through supporting
equitable and local food systems. VLGA responds to
emerging issues and strengthens the ability of local
governments to improve local area food security. For
more information visit <www.vlga.org.au>.
Appendix 5: Case studies
These case studies were informed by discussions with
key people involved in the initiatives. A companion
document Healthy Food Connect: Case Studies
provides further detail about each of the following as
well as contact details if further information is required.
The following is an overview of select case studies
from Victoria and other states to demonstrate the
ways in which the built environment, policy, planning
and community action have supported improving
healthy food access (or decreasing access to
unhealthy food).
Depending on the priorities identied in your area, you
may nd these case studies useful to draw on the
models, processes and collaboration strategies used.
However, it is important to acknowledge that you
may need to adapt the strategies to suit local needs
and/or set your own standards or guidelines of what
you would like your initiative to achieve. While there
is detailed information in the companion document
Healthy Food Connect:Case Studies, many of these
case studies also have further information available
on the internet. Contact can be made with the people
involved if required (for example, to learn more about
the strengths and challenges they experienced when
undertaking their initiatives).
The models presented in the case studies and their
impact on healthy food are summarised in Table A-1.

Table A-1: Improving healthy food access case study examples

Impact on healthy food

Models to support improving healthy food access and supply Increase Increase Reduce
fruit and healthy availability to
vegetables foods less healthy 35
foods

Local-buying food co-operatives/retail

Food co-operatives are consumer-owned businesses that provide foods (including fresh fruit and vegetables) to their
local community by selling produce grown locally or food sourced by other means. These foods are generally more
affordable than in chain supermarkets.

Case study 1: FoodSkil 9 9

Case study 2: Playford Food Co-op 9 9
Community/school gardens
Initiatives to encourage community gardens, vegetable gardens in schools and childcare centres, edible landscapes,
rooftop gardens and so on.

Case study 3: Croxton School and Community Garden 9

Markets
Markets held frequently can increase the accessibility of fresh fruit and vegetables grown by local producers. They
take many forms including street markets, markets hosted on community facilities (for example, schools or community
centres) or mobile vans.

Case study 4: Port Produce project 9 9

Case study 5: Robinvale Community Growers Market 9 9
Food hubs
Places where growers and buyers in a region can connect, providing shared infrastructure that allows small growers to
sell fruit and vegetables to the community. Food hubs can take many forms and may include associated cafes, food
recovery opportunities and consumer farmer education.

Case study 6: Casey Food Hub (as a model) An initiative in development

Case study 7: Avocare Community Distribution Centre 9 9

Appendix 5: Case studies

 Impact on healthy food

Models to support improving healthy food access and supply Increase Increase Reduce
fruit and healthy availability to
vegetables foods less healthy
foods

Fresh food recovery

Programs and initiatives to facilitate the redistribution of excess or second-grade fresh food produce.

Case study 8: Mullum Mullum Food Bank 9 9

Case study 9: Growing Abundance 9 9
Healthy eating/food policy
Encouraging and supporting healthy eating in local government workplaces, in their funded community facilities and at
events by encouraging and promoting healthy food and drink choices and limiting less healthier choices.

Case study 10: Healthy food and drinks policy 9 9 9

Case study 11: Green Light Eat Right vending machine project 9 9
Case Study 12: Implementing Healthy Choices at Alfred Health 9 9 9
Healthier fats in food businesses
36 Encouraging food businesses to change the fats and oils used in food preparation and cooking to improve the overall
healthfulness of the foods they sell and promote.

Case study 13: Say Yes to Heart Healthy Oils project 9

Community supported agriculture
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) projects involve creating a direct relationship between producers (local
farmers) and consumers to provide a local food supply (that predominantly includes fresh fruit and vegetables).

Case study 14: Food Connect, Melbourne/Sydney 9 9

Other supportive local food initiatives

Fruit and vegetable and seedling swaps: These
initiatives (often driven by local action) support
community opportunities to share and increase
access to home-grown fruit and vegetables (as well
as seedlings to increase backyard growing and local
supply).

Darebin Urban Harvest or Yarra Urban Harvest

The Victorian Healthy Eating Enterprise

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The Victorian Healthy Eating Enterprise

Further reading
The following list of references provide additional
background reading and practical advice to support
the implementation of Healthy Food Connect (in
addition to the resources already contained throughout
this document).
Food and health
Department of Health 2010, Getting children to aged
5 to 12 years to eat more fruit and vegetables. An
evidence summary, Prevention and Population Health
Branch, State Government of Victoria, Melbourne.
Conduct your local food access needs
assessment
Pothukuchi K 2004, Community food assessment:
a rst step in planning for community food security,
Journal of Planning Education and Research, vol. 23,
pp. 356377.
Ross S, Simce Z 2008, Community food assessment
guide, Provincial Health Services Authority, Vancouver,
BC.
Miewald C, Barbolet H, Cuddeford V, Kurbis S, de
la Salle J, Whiting D 2007, Community food system
assessment guide for British Columbia, Simon Fraser
University, Burnaby, BC.
Feegan R 2007, The place of food: mapping out
the local in local food systems, Progress in Human
Geography, vol. 31, no. 1, pp. 2342.
Implement healthy food access initiatives
Sustain 2006, Reaching the parts. Community
mapping: Working together to tackle social exclusion
and food poverty, Sustain. United Kingdom. This
resource also has a number of useful approaches to
developing prioritising issues and developing an action
plan.
Montague M 2011, Local government and food
security: an evidence review, Commissioned by the
North and West Metropolitan Region, Department of
Health this provides additional background to better
understand what local government can and cannot do
to support healthy food access.
Rychetnik L, Webb K, Story L, Katz T 2003, Food
security options paper: a planning framework and
menu of options for policy and practice interventions,
NSW Centre for Public Health Nutrition.
Carey R, McConell K 2011, A resilient fruit and
vegetable supply for a healthy Victoria: Working
together to secure the future, A Food Alliance Report.
Victorian Local Governance Association 2008,
Municipal food security dimensions and opportunities.
Summary report of the trial RAP survey Victoria,VLGA,
Victoria
Victorian Local Governance Association 2009,
Integrating land use planning and community food
39
security a new agenda for government to deliver
on sustainability, economic growth and social justice,
vlga, melbourne.
Include healthy food access in local government
policy and planning
Tasmanian Food Security Council 2012, Food for All
Tasmanians a food security strategy, Department of
Premier and Cabinet, Hobart.
Dr Foster Intelligence and Land Use Consultants 2011.
Tackling the take-aways. A new policy to address fast
food outlets in Tower Hamlets, London Borough of
Tower Hamlets.
References
www.health.vic.gov.au/nutrition