Food Standards Agency Wales announces AFAL award winners
Thursday 13 May 2004
Awards for Food Action Locally
At its Nutrition Strategy Implementation Conference in Llandudno this week, the Food Standards Agency Wales announced the winners of its 2003/2004 AFAL award scheme. The award, launched in November 2003, is a scheme to recognise individual or team contributions to local nutrition initiatives that have made a positive impact on the diet or eating habits in the communities they serve.
At the conference, an award was presented to the Quarry Wholefood Shop & Cafe in Machynlleth set up by The Centre for Alternative Technology.
This project provides healthy food (much sourced from local producers) to both the local community and tourists. It also has links with a local primary school providing cookery demonstrations and supporting their healthy lunchbox campaign.
The caféalso acts as drop-off point for the local vegetable box scheme, and has produced a couple of healthy eating cookery booklets. This award was in the category 'Initiatives to Promote/Facilitate Access and Availability'. Representatives received £2000 for investment into the initiative, a celebratory fruit bowl and a certificate
In the category 'Initiatives that demonstrate multi-agency working', the runner up was the 'Denbighshire Nutrition Working Group' run by Denbighshire County Council.
In response to the identification of a previously fragmented approach to food and well being in the area, this working group developed an action plan. Group membership covers a range of key partners and has tackled such areas as school lunch provision, grants for starting up fruit tuck shops, infant feeding guidelines a School Nutrition Action Group meeting to make policy decisions on fruit tuck shops, water bottles and healthy lunch boxes. As a runner up this group received £1000 again for investment in the initiative, together with a celebratory fruit bowl and a certificate.
Professor Robert Pickard, Director General of the British Nutrition Foundation, member of the Welsh Food Advisory Committee for FSA Wales and a member of the judging panel said: 'There has been a high level of interest in the AFAL awards, with over 70 entries. All were of a high calibre, and made the judging a difficult process. These winners each demonstrated how hard work, commitment and enthusiasm has helped to promote better diets in their community. We are committed to running the AFAL awards again and will announce details for the 2004/5 awards later in the year'.
Further awards will be presented at the FSA Wales Nutrition Strategy Implementation Conference in Cardiff on 26 May 2004.
Notes to editors:
1. The AFAL awards are open to all individuals or organisations responsible for initiating and directing activities or events in Wales that are aimed at improving the diet of their local community. This includes key players across all sectors - the National Public Health Service, Local Health Boards, the education sector, community and voluntary workers, Local Authorities, retailers and food producers all of whom are working to make an impact at the community level.
2. There are five award categories, which correspond to the various strands of the Nutrition Strategy for Wales - outlined in the ‘Food and Well Being’ document published in February 2003 which identifies the actions required by key players to improve the diet of people in Wales. The categories are:
- Initiatives to inform/educate the community
- Initiatives to promote/facilitate access and availability
- Initiatives to manage overweight and obesity
- Initiatives that demonstrate multi agency working
- Initiatives that are innovative in their approach
3. A photograph of the winners is available at the link below.
Related links
(Image 1MB)11th Floor, Southgate House,
Wood Street,
Cardiff CF10 1EW
Telephone: 02920 678916
Fax: 02920 678918/9
Email: caroline.kitson@foodstandards.gsi.gov.uk