Food & Health Alliance

The National Food and Drink Policy Recipe for Success reported that: ‘the Leadership Forum will also be invited to explore the need for further advocacy on food to reflect this wide agenda.’

To support this policy and help inform the Leadership Forum, the Food & Health Alliance at the 2009 Food & Health Alliance conference facilitated a workshop session on Food Advocacy.  The purpose of this workshop was to facilitate discussions on the levels of involvement and interest in this topic of food advocacy.  By the end of the workshop it was clear that this was a wide and complex topic.  Delegates were pleased that it had featured as part of the conference, but felt that they had really only scratched the surface in the time available.

These subsequent workshops are the next stage allowing more detail on the topic to be collected plus engage with a greater range of stakeholders.

These workshops are for the wide spectrum of stakeholders involved with food, health and sustainability: local government, consumer advocacy groups, NGOs with a health, business or sustainability remit, researchers, academics, food industry, health improvement practitioners, NHS, education, community and voluntary workers.

The aim is to scope out the potential need for further food advocacy. A summary report from both workshops will feed into the Leadership Forum meeting in March 2010.

The dates of the workshops are as follows:

• Thursday 4th February 09:30 to 16:00 – Hilton Treetops, Aberdeen
• Friday 5th February 09:30 to 16:00 – Crowne Plaza Hotel, Glasgow

Numbers are limited, so if you would like to attend please contact Claire Gibbons, NHS Health Scotland.

Tel: 0131 313 7587 or email: Claire.Gibbons@health.scot.nhs.uk

What the workshops will cover

Advocacy - what is advocacy?

Advocacy is an evolving and underdeveloped element of public health practice. Historically, it was used to describe activities undertaken by persons on behalf of the poor, the sick or oppressed.

In the seventies, public health advocacy became more focused on structural and policy change. Since the Ottawa Charter (WHO, 1986), the health promotion movement has embraced a broader view of the role of advocacy. The public health community now see advocacy as social action primarily aimed at effecting changes in legislation, policy and environments that support healthy living.

Advocacy is defined by the World Health Organization as: 

 “A combination of individual and social actions designed to gain political commitment, policy support, social acceptance and systems support for a particular health goal or programme.” (WHO, 1995)[1].

What do we mean by food advocacy?

What food advocacy is currently happening in Scotland?

Is there a need for further food advocacy in Scotland?

• Can we define what further food advocacy is required?
• And would be the top three topics requiring advocacy?
• Or is about more co-ordination and a more joined up approach?

If it is about more co-ordination, how could we achieve this?

[1] World Health Organization (1998) Health Promotion Glossary, WHO, Geneva. p:5