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New toolkit to tackle food poverty

07 June 2004

Issued on behalf of the National Heart Forum and the Faculty of Public Health

What people eat matters, and the poorer a person is, the poorer their diet - and the more diet-related diseases they will suffer from. This is food poverty.

A new toolkit to help professionals tackle food poverty at local level is being launched at the Faculty of Public Health's annual conference. Nutrition and Food Poverty brings together in one volume information essential to developing a local food poverty strategy. It outlines the barriers to healthy eating and the scientific evidence on the role of poor nutrition in the major public health problems in the UK, including rising obesity levels and the 'big killers' such as coronary heart disease, stroke and cancer. The toolkit details key messages for healthy eating and includes practical tips on how people on low incomes can achieve a better diet.
 
Aimed at a wide range of stakeholders, including strategic planners in the NHS, local government and those working in the health, education, social and environmental services, the toolkit demonstrates how nutrition and food poverty strategies can help to achieve local targets and how they are central to the Government's health and inequalities agenda. It also shows how such strategies inter-relate with the Government's environment, social and education policies and programmes.

Nutrition and Food Poverty will help professionals within primary care trusts and local strategic partnerships develop strategies and programmes which take a 'life-course' and 'food-chain' approach to improve the nutrition of those living in food poverty. Background information is provided on how to write and implement a local strategy and a comprehensive list of examples of good practice and further sources of guidance is included to assist with strategy development.

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Notes to editors

1. The toolkit has been produced jointly by the National Heart Forum, the Faculty of Public Health, the Public Health Group, Government Office for the North West, the Public Health Unit, Government Office for the West Midlands and the West Midlands Public Health Observatory.

2. The Faculty's annual conference runs 8-10 June at the Corn Exchange, Edinburgh. For further information on the conference contact Chloe Parkin T: 07717 000 681.

3. For further information on the toolkit contact: Modi Mwatsama, National Heart Forum on modi.mwatsama@heartofmersey.org.uk.

4.  Copies of Nutrition and Food Poverty will be available from the National Heart Forum and Faculty of Pubic Health websites from 8 June: http://www.heartforum.org.uk/ and http://www.fph.org.uk/. Hard copies can be ordered from the National Heart Forum by calling 020 7383 7638 or via email publications@heartforum.org.uk.

5. Nutrition and Food Poverty was written by Dr Vivienne Press and is endorsed by the following organisations: