The aim of the Policy is to “improve people’s access to affordable good quality food and to develop the link between the people of Sandwell and food producers in the West Midlands” There are two main aspects to the development of the Sustainable Food Policy.

Firstly, the Council is reviewing its in house catering and procurement processes to develop a more sustainable approache to the provision of food.

Secondly, the Council is working with the Sandwell Food Policy Board to create a ‘sustainable food system’ in Sandwell.

Review of Council Catering and Procurement

As part of the implementation of the Council's Sustainable Procurement Policy a review is being undertaken of food procurement. The aim of this review is to develop more sustainable approaches to food provision which consider the impact on the community, the environment and the local/regional economy of the way food is produced, processed and distributed. This supports the Government initiative to promote the sustainable procurement of food and catering services by public bodies. The review has focused on healthy eating and local sourcing of fresh fruit and vegetables, and specifying to assist the purchase of fully traceable sustainable and ethically produced food, including Fair Trade products.

The "Growing a Healthy Food Economy" report forms part of the review. It is based on a programme of research, consultation and capacity building to link food producers in the region with public sector food purchasers in Sandwell. One of the recommendations of the report was to develop the Council's food procurement process to enable more sourcing of fresh local food.

In order to achieve this funding was obtained from the Sandwell Primary Care Trust Eatwell Fund for consultants to investigate the Council's requirements for food and drink, and the procurement and supply processes that meet these requirements.

The consultants report, 'Eatwell in Sandwell' Sustainable Food Procurement Project, contains the findings of the study together with a series of recommendations which have been endorsed by the Policy and Performance Scrutiny Panel, as part of its review of the Sustainable Procurement Policy.

Sandwell Food Policy Board

The Council is one of the partners on the Sandwell Food Policy Board. This is a multi-agency Health Partnership working group, which is exploring how to create a ‘sustainable food system’ in Sandwell. The Board has developed the Sandwell Food Policy, which aims to protect and enhance the health of the community and contribute to tackling health inequalities. Evidence and practice in Sandwell shows the need for an integrated approach, underpinned by community involvement. The policy will be delivered through strong, effective partnerships between food, health, regeneration of the economy and the environment. It will also demonstrate the goals of sustainable development.

The Fresh Food Supply Chain in Sandwell

One of the central principles of the Sandwell Food Policy is to create a healthier food economy. In 2008 research was undertaken into the contribution of food to the local economy. This concluded that the food industry was at least as important an employer in the Sandwell economy as other key sectors, such as financial and business services. Food industry businesses had therefore been nourishing the local economy somewhat more than had been asumed in the past. A further study, the Better Business, Healthier Food Study, was comissioned to explore the link between the food business and health. In particular, how does the fresh food supply chain work locally, what business issues face those who are involved in the supply of fresh food to local consumers, and how might public sector agencies work with these enterprises to boost performance in terms of the value and volume of fresh food sales in Sandwell?