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Gippsland, Victoria, Australia
Gippsland, Victoria, Australia - © CC0 Public Domain

VicHealth Food for All Program

Status
completed
100%
City

Melbourne

Main actors

Local Government, Community / Citizen Group

Project area

Metropolitan Area

Duration

2005 - 2010

Five year Food for All program involved nine Victorian Municipalities taking a lead to address food insecurity.

VicHealth’s five-year Food for All (FFA) Program involved nine Victorian municipalities taking a lead in addressing Food insecurity by improving access to healthy Food for people living in disadvantaged communities. These councils have developed practical and long-lasting strategies to tackle the problem of Food insecurity and help residents access a variety of nutritious Foods, including fruit and vegetables. 
 
Food for all program had a positive, significant impact on local councils' awareness, operations and strategic direction around food security. It also provided valuable insights into the factors that help or hinder food security promotion through local governments.
For further information about the case study, click here.

Sustainable Development Goals

End hunger, achieve food security and improve nutrition and promote sustainable agricultureEnsure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all agesReduce inequality within and among countriesMake cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainableTake urgent action to combat climate change and its impactsPromote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
City
Melbourne , Australia
Size and population development
As of June 2024, Melbourne had an estimated population of 5,316,00, making it the largest city in Australia. The city has experienced steady population growth, with an annual rate of 1.71% between 2010 and 2020. The growth is due to International migration as well as internal migration from within Australia and a natural increase from births over the last decade.
Population composition
Melbourne is known for its diverse and multicultural population. The city has the world's third-largest Greek-speaking population at the city level, after Athens and Thessaloniki. Melbourne is also home to large communities of people with Italian, Vietnamese, Chinese, and Indian heritage, among others. The median age in Melbourne is 36.4 years, with 18.2% of the population under 15 years,14.2% aged 65 years and over and 65.6% aged 15-64 years.
Main functions
Melbourne is the capital city of the state of Victoria and serves as a major financial, cultural, and educational centre in Australia. The city is renowned for its vibrant performing and visual arts scene, with numerous theatres, galleries, and museums. Melbourne consistently ranks among the most liveable cities in the world according to the Economist Intelligence Unit, attracting residents and visitors alike with its high quality of life, diverse culinary scene, and rich cultural offerings.
Main industries / business
Melbourne's economy is highly diversified, with key sectors including finance, manufacturing, information technology, research, and tourism. The city is home to the headquarters of several major corporations and financial institutions, such as ANZ, National Australia Bank, and the Australian Stock Exchange. Melbourne's strong education sector, with world-renowned universities like the University of Melbourne and Monash University, contributes to its thriving research and innovation ecosystem.
Sources for city budget
The City of Melbourne's budget is derived from various sources, including property taxes, fees and charges, grants from the Victorian and Australian governments, parking revenue, and income from investments and rentals. The city council also generates revenue through its wholly owned subsidiaries, such as CitiPower and Melbourne City Investments.
Political structure
Melbourne is governed by the Melbourne City Council, which consists of a Lord Mayor, a Deputy Lord Mayor, and nine Councillors. The Lord Mayor and Deputy Lord Mayor are directly elected by the residents and businesses of the City of Melbourne, while the Councillors are elected from geographic wards. The Victorian state government also plays a significant role in the governance of Melbourne, with various state departments and agencies responsible for transport, planning, and other key functions.
Administrative structure
The metropolitan area of Melbourne is divided into 31 local government areas (LGAs) or municipalities, each with its own elected council. These include 26 cities and five shires, covering hundreds of suburbs. The City of Melbourne is the central LGA, encompassing the central business district and inner suburbs. The LGAs work together through the Metropolitan Transport Forum and other regional bodies to coordinate planning and service delivery across the metropolitan area.
Website
https://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/Pages/home.aspx

In June 2005 VicHealth funded eight food security projects in nine local government areas to work in partnership with local organisations, including community health services, to promote food security. Two projects were located in regional Victoria.

A key strategy of Food for All was to encourage local government to improve integrated planning to address factors that influence access to food, such as transport, housing, economic development, urban planning and land use. This approach was consistent with VicHealth’s emphasis on addressing the determinants of health that lie within the four environments: built, natural, social and economic.

The goals of the Food For All program:

  • reduce local government system barriers and local infrastructure barriers to food security 
  • increase regular access to and consumption of a variety of foods, in particular fruit and vegetables, by people living in disadvantaged communities.
Objectives of the Food For All program: 
  • increase incorporation of food security and related issues into council integrated planning around policy, strategy and actions
  • develop leadership and partnerships with community agencies to implement food security strategies that reduce barriers to food security
  • initiate and support advocacy to reduce barriers to access and consumption of healthy food.

The program objectives were modified for the second phase (2008 to 2010), to encourage greater emphasis on influencing local government policy, planning and practice across the four environments for health (built, natural, economic and social) and in particular bringing health and urban planning closer together

The Food for All Program has involved action by local government on many fronts:

  • enabling residents to identify local sources of fresh fruit and vegetables at affordable prices
  • ensuring that those in poor-quality housing have access to food storage and cooking facilities
  • improving Food and cooking knowledge and skills among disadvantaged groups
  • improving transport options for those without a car
  • increasing community awareness of the problem of Food insecurity.

This program was sited in local government, with eight projects being funded in nine local government areas. One project was undertaken between two councils.

VicHealth funded nine councils to reduce the local infrastructure barriers to food security.

Food for all program had a positive, significant impact on local councils' awareness, operations and strategic direction around food security. It also provided valuable insights into the factors that help or hinder food security promotion through local governments.

The FFA program successfully identified infrastructure (and other) barriers to food security affecting disadvantaged groups.
 
Some of the FFA project strategies helped reduce infrastructure barriers. For example, the setting up of markets and stalls selling affordable fruit and vegetables to people living in disadvantaged areas helped to ease the economic barriers facing families on a low income. Providing community transport to fresh food outlets, and advocating easy access to fresh food outlets to state government and transport companies, helped reduce transport barriers in some municipalities. Changes in open space planning and local regulations, while slow, supported local food production including community gardens, which helped to address economic, social and cultural barriers. 
 
FFA projects data provided evidence that healthy eating and food supply strategies did result in increased awareness, knowledge, food skills and intention to implement new knowledge. 

Local data and a detailed local evidence base are vital ingredients in local government taking up food security. 

Consistency, continuity and commitment of staff at both project and management levels clearly make a difference. When there is no one with the capacity to keep the pressure up on food security, action tends to falter. 
 
Councils operating in a contracting economic climate or with a focus on debt management tend to have limited take-up of a food security focus
 
Councils with a culture of cross-council communication and well developed systems that support integrated planning are more likely to develop a wide array of initiatives across portfolios.
 
A common planning cycle across all Victorian local governments creates more opportunities for inclusion of food security into policy. 
 
The most effective FFA community strategies were made up of a combination of interrelated approaches. For example, the best food production initiatives included practical gardening education and support, advocacy to council regarding open space and water use, the value of gardening in terms of recycling and waste management, health and wellbeing, and providing examples of how local government could amend planning and policy to support local food production. 

- Donovan, J, Larsen, K, McWhinnie, JA, 2011, 'Food-Sensitive Planning and Urban Design,' Heart Foundation, David Lock Associates, University of Melbourne

- 2011, 'Food for All 2005–10 Program evaluation report,' VicHealth, Date accessed 19/6/15 

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