Local governments are becoming more directly involved in managing food security issues and are ideally placed to facilitate a coordinated response in creating supportive environments for health and wellbeing.
Food is an essential part of our daily lives and is an integral part of the Australian society. Having reliable access to affordable, nutritious and safe food is fundamental to the health and wellbeing of the community. Meeting the challenges and seizing the opportunities to improve our food supply can create enormous social, economic and environmental benefits.
This guide provides a practical overview on the:
- benefits of food security and the risks of food insecurity
- role of local government in improving food security
- steps required to plan, implement and evaluate food security strategies
- strategies that have been shown to improve food security.
The guide applies key health promotion principles, to:
- ensure all public policies, not just health policies, contribute in some way to improving people’s health
- create social and physical environments that encourage and support health and wellbeing
- develop people’s personal skills and knowledge about their own health and wellbeing
- strengthen communities to support health and wellbeing improvement
- ensure services are effective, efficient and accessible to all and have a stronger role in preventing illness and disease.
