From the 2015 Future of Local Food Conference. See futureoflocalfood.org.au for more information.

1. Creating a Vibrant
Healthy Eating Culture: A
Complex Systems
Approach
Veronica Graham APD
Food Systems & Nutrition Policies
State Government of Victoria
Healthy Together Victoria, funded by the Victorian Government, is improving the health of our community.
Thursday 10th September

2. Local Government : Opportunity to influence

3. Unhealthy food choices are everywhere….
…train stations and post offices

4. Unhealthy food options are everywhere……
….sport and leisure centres

5. Food outlet mapping –
takeaway/fast food vs fruit and vegetable outlets
For every fresh food outlet there are almost 5
times as many takeaway or fast food outlets
Data

6. At a population level : eating patterns are
inconsistent with DG’s : chronic disease increases

7. Prevention Challenge of the 21st Century

8. Healthy Together Victoria is a complex systems approach to
prevention, at scale, and at multiple levels of the system, to
impact on population health outcomes.
“The systems approach is a new and more complex way to
reduce obesity, but ultimately it promises to be more
sustainable and effective.”
B. Swinburn and A. Wood (2013) Progress on obesity prevention over 20 years in Australia and New Zealand in
Obesity Reviews, 14/2, p60-68.

9. Whole of System : State Prevention Effort
Whole of system approach targeting 14 local
government areas
• over 1.3 million Victorians
Including:
• 4,409 workplaces and
• 520 schools
• HTV is a complex systems approach, at scale, at multiple levels to impact on
population health outcomes
• 938 early childhood centres
25% of the population

10. Healthy Eating
Advisory Service
Achievement Program –
Frameworks and
benchmarks for health
promotion
Healthy Choices Policy
Guidelines : for all settinngs
Minister and
Mayors Network
Victorian Healthy Eating
Enterprise – Creating a
vibrant and healthy
eating culture
Networks of practice
Better Health Channel
redevelopment
Leadership for
Prevention Strategy
Healthy Together Exchange
Healthy Together Patrons
Healthy Food Charter Health promotion policy for
children and young people
Networks of practice
Fresh Food Recovery
Healthy Food Connect
Health Champions
Local social marketing
campaigns
Healthy Living
Programs and Strategies
Jamie’s Ministry
of Food in Victoria
Localised websites
Prevention teams
Local leadership networks
Healthy Eating
Advisory Service
Achievement Program
Healthy Living
Programs and Strategies
Business and industry
leadership network
Achievement Program
Healthy Eating and Food
Literacy in Secondary Schools
Healthy Eating
Advisory Service
Life!

11. Victorian public health and wellbeing plan 2015–2019

12. Complex Whole of System Approach @ Scale
across LG’s and State
Collaboration
Leadership
outside
health
Settings as
systems
e.g. Food, LG’s,
Education,
Planning
WorkplacesState Support
Infrastructure
&
Benchmarks
Policies and
Line of sight

13. Complex Whole of System Approach @ Scale
across LG’s and State
Policies and
Line of sight

14. Policy line of sight
Policies
and Line of
Sight
Municipal Public
Health Plans &

15. The Healthy Choices Policy framework
Policies
and Line
of sight

16. Healthy policies: creating multiple changes in food
supply
Figure 2: Spend per pool entry
Policies
and Line
of sight

17. Healthy Food Connect – It’s about connecting
Agricultural
production
Post-
Consumption
Consumption Distribution
Processing
Local
Food
System
Retail
'In a way, HFC gave us a
roadmap to bring together the
actions being undertaken
across council’
(HTC council staff)

18. Healthy Food Connect – an enabling framework
Built Natural
Health Economic
Framework
available for
the State
Policies
and Line of
sight

19. Creating Healthier Food Systems
Applying the Healthy Food Connect
Framework – an overview supported with
implementation examples

20. Healthy Food Connect :
Driving food system change in local government
Progress in 12 Healthy Together Communities:
• All HTCs built comprehensive understanding of their
local food environment using the VLGA food scanning
tool.
• Nine HTCs have adopted council healthy catering
policies.
• Four councils committed to council wide food policies
• Five HTCs have established local food networks,
• All HTCs have food/healthy eating in their Municipal
Public Health & Wellbeing plans for 2013-17
Policies
and Line
of sight

21. Complex Whole of System Approach @ Scale
across LG’s and State
Collaboration

22. Victorian Healthy Eating Enterprise
Collaboration

23. Working across systems and settings
connecting with new partners to deliver on
health
Built
environment
Children’s
services in
schools
Public Facilities
– community &
health
Workplaces
Community food
programs
Retail –
greengrocers,
supermarkets
Local
government
Farming Processing &
manufacturing
Retail Consumer
skills &
education
Consumer
access
Consumer
demand &
marketing
Waste &
reuse
Healthy
Choices:
hospitals
Better
Health
Channel
Green Light
– Eat Right
Port
Produce
Project
Mullum
Mullum
Aboriginal
Food Co-op
Healthy Food
Charter
Healthy
Choices:
workplaces
Healthy Food
Procurement
for government
Health
Champions
“Starts
with…social
marketing”
Fresh Food
Recovery
Healthy Food
Connect
Victorian
Healthy Food
Basket Survey
Healthy eating
and food
literacy
Achievement
program
Achievement
program
Jamie’s
Ministry of
Food Victoria
Healthy Eating
Advisory Service
Healthy Choices:
sport and rec
YMCA
Healthy
Vending
Healthy
Supermarkets
Health Star
Rating
Melbourne
Markets
Healthy Food
Connect - Thrive
Community guide
to working with
local
greengrocers
LiveLighter
Healthy Dining
Healthy Choices:
Parks Victoria
Reducing sugary
drinks (2015
VHEE priority)
Soft drink free
community
events
Healthy
Lunchbox
resource
Nutrition
standards for
menu items in
hospitals/ aged
care
Cross-
departmental
work with food
manufacturers
(SMEs)
Healthy Dining
(pubs & clubs)
Trending fruit &
veg (2015 VHEE
priority)
Collaboration

24. Central
Gippsland
Food Map
Working across local food systems
Note VHEE priority for collective impact
Built
environment
Children’s
services in
schools
Public Facilities
– community &
health
Workplaces
/Sporting
Community food
programs
Retail –
greengrocers,
supermarkets
Local
government
Farming Processing &
manufacturing
Retail Consumer
skills &
education
Consumer
access
Consumer
demand &
marketing
Food
Redistribution
Healthy Bites
Healthy Food
Vendor Trial
Mildura
Small Stores
Trial
Bendigo
Healthy
Supermarkets
Trial
Healthy Food
Procurement
and Catering
Policy
Food Skill
Healthy
Choices
Achievement
program
Healthy
eating and
food literacy
Jamie’s
Ministry of
Food Victoria
Fresh Food
Recovery
Healthy
Vending
Healthy
Choices
Traralgon
Sport and
Rec Centre
Open Food
Network
Workplace
Fruit and
Vegetable
Boxes
HBD
embedded
Residential
Development
Wyndham
South East
Food Hub
Soft Drink
Free Event
Mildura
Community
FoodShare
Hub
Healthy
Schools
Breakfast
Program
Stakeholder
relations
with Food
Producer
Collaboration

25. • Clear line of policy sight
• Prevention at scale
• Equity at the front and centre
• Collaboration for collective impact
• Adaptation – feedback and reflection
• Culture of experimentation
• Leadership for systems change
Principles for a whole
of system effort

26. Complex Whole of System Approach @ Scale
across LG’s and State
Leadership
outside
health

27. Leadership from all sectors at all levels within
and outside of health
Leadership
outside
health

28. Complex Whole of System Approach @ Scale
across LG’s and State
Settings as
systems
e.g. Food, LG’s, Education, Planning
Workplaces

29. Settings as systems and then scale up :
Soft drink free event via Local government
 81% happy with food options
 70% noticed that unhealthy options
were not available
Settings as
systems
e.g. Food, LG’s,
Education,
Planning
Workplaces

30. Healthy Choices – Sport and recreation centres
Community grants
Community Sports Infrastructure Fund

31. Complex Whole of System Approach @ Scale
across LG’s and State
State Support
Infrastructure &
Benchmarks

32. Healthy Eating Advisory Service (HEAS)
Statewide assistance via:
• phone, email & online
menu assessments to:
• 80 schools
• 223 early childhood services
• 51 workplaces
• 11 hospitals
product assessments:
• 41 food industry organisations (1,036 products)
training to:
• 793 attendees from LGAs, ECSs, schools, retail
food outlets/caterers
Established March 2012, & delivered by Nutrition Australia, HEAS promotes
access to healthy food & drinks where people live, learn, work & play
State Support
Infrastructure &
Benchmarks

33. A quality framework for prevention
Creating healthy environments in
• Early childhood services
• Schools
• Workplaces
• Sport & Leisure
• Communities…
Benchmarks for the State
Achievement Program
State Support
Infrastructure
& Benchmarks

34. Influencing the System
LOCAL Government
How your role influences the complexity
and determinants of healthy eating

35. Victorian public health and wellbeing plan 2015–2019

37. Conduct a local food access needs assessment
• Recommended tool – VLGA Municipal Food
Security Scanning tool
• A scanning process of the local food environment
using the Environments for Health framework
• Provides a structured framework
• Adopting a collaborative and systematic approach
• Developing your local food system profile
• Inform local government policy and plans
(Municipal Public Health Plans)
Natural
Built
Economic
Social and
cultural
Health

38. Healthy catering and procurement –
Changing the culture – staff and visitors

39. Creating healthier food environments –
support for local infrastructure
Infrastructure

40. Local government: ‘Moving beyond rates, roads
and rubbish’
•Enable supportive environments for food
• Create spaces and places that meet many diverse needs by
integrating food production and exchange with housing,
enjoyment of open spaces recreational areas, skills and jobs,
socialising and community celebration.
• Protect high quality peri-urban agricultural land, Green
Wedge areas and natural environments.
• Provide supportive operating environments for healthy and
sustainable food outlets/enterprises.
• Create places that facilitate people’s access to healthy food
in urban environments.
• Provide opportunities for those who wish to participate in
growing, exchanging, cooking and sharing food.

41. Local Government : Opportunity to influence

42. veronica.graham@dhhs.vic.gov.au
Thank You