The County Council has carried out pioneering work on food nutrition and availability

Pioneering food study singled out by Government

The Government has singled out work by Staffordshire County Council on food and nutrition in a response to a European Commission green paper, "Promoting healthy diets and physical activity".

The work was aimed at identifying those areas that do not have access to nutritious, affordable food.    

It is acknowledged that people in some disadvantaged or rural areas face significant barriers to accessing a healthy diet. Local shops can be non-existent, have less variety and choice, higher prices, and sometimes lower quality, making it even harder to afford a healthy diet.

The Government response reinforces this as an area for national action and identifies Staffordshire County Council as making a significant contribution.

Staffordshire County Council's Cabinet Member for Social Care and Health, Councillor Susan Woodward said: "In collaboration with the National Consumer Council, we have developed a 'Food Access Radar' that, rather like a car's satellite navigation system, uses a mapping process with social, economic and public transport information to highlight where residents may have difficulty accessing affordable healthy food.

"We are now starting to work with partners and some of the communities concerned to find solutions in the 50 to 60 localities that have been highlighted as high-risk areas across the county."

Page Last Modified: 30/01/2007 16:03:33

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