Welcome to the Australian Local Food System Policy Database. This is a collection of policies from New South Wales (NSW) and Victorian local governments that relate to healthy, sustainable, and equitable food systems.
For further information about using the database and how it was created see How to use the database. You can search the database by using the fields below. Domain refers to eight broad categories under which various topics are situated. The domains and topics are based on a framework of recommendations for local government action on creating a healthy, sustainable, and equitable food system (also located on the ‘How to use the database’ page linked above).
To cite the database: Reeve B, Carrad A, Rose N, Charlton K & Aguirre-Bielschowsky I (2021) Australian Local Food System Policy Database. Available at: https://law-food-systems.sydney.edu.au/policy-database (access date).
Suggested search terms
Hold Ctrl to select multiple terms. Using ‘any words’ functions as an “OR” search. Using ‘all words’ functions as and “AND” search.
Search Criteria:
| Document title | Relevant text in the policy | Domain | Topic | State | Local Government name | Council type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Health and Wellbeing Plan | 3.1 Reduce the consumption of sugary drinks | Health and Wellbeing | Education/events on food system issues | Victoria | Baw Baw | Regional |
| Public Health and Wellbeing Plan | 3.4 Connect food producers, suppliers and retailers with each other and Baw Baw residents | Economic Development | Public food markets and distributors | Victoria | Baw Baw | Regional |
| Public Health and Wellbeing Plan | 3.2 Increase the consumption of healthy and nutritious food | Health and Wellbeing | Education/events on food system issues | Victoria | Baw Baw | Regional |
| Public Health and Wellbeing Plan | .5 Support and strengthen a food economy that increases the supply, availability and demand for locally produced food | Economic Development | Local food producers | Victoria | Baw Baw | Regional |
| Public Health and Wellbeing Plan | 3.7 Build people’s capacity to eat healthy and be more active where we live, learn, work and play through healthy design, education and policy | Health and Wellbeing | Education/events on food system issues | Victoria | Baw Baw | Regional |
| Public Health and Wellbeing Plan | Food suppliers are confident that they can sell their products, and that there are skilled workers for their industry. People want to buy from local food suppliers and they have a convenient way to do this. | Economic Development | Local food producers | Victoria | Baw Baw | Regional |
| Public Health and Wellbeing Plan | People and growers have ways to build their knowledge and skills. | Health and Wellbeing | Education/events on food system issues | Victoria | Baw Baw | Regional |
| Public Health and Wellbeing Plan | People and growers have ways to build their knowledge and skills. | Economic Development | Local food producers | Victoria | Baw Baw | Regional |
| PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELLBEING PLAN 20172021 | 4.2. Increase the availability of affordable housing Actions – Council Plan | Social Policy | Affordable housing | Victoria | Kingston | Metropolitan |
| PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELLBEING PLAN 20172021 | Increase the availability of affordable housing | Social Policy | Affordable housing | Victoria | Kingston | Metropolitan |
| PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELLBEING PLAN 20172021 | OBJECTIVE 4.2. Increase the availability of affordable housing | Social Policy | Affordable housing | Victoria | Kingston | Metropolitan |
| PUBLIC HEALTH INVESTIGATIONS – ENFORCEMENT POLICY | In exercising these functions, the Environmental Health Unit carries out the following regulatory activities: • investigation of complaints concerning public health risks • inspection of food premises | Food Quality and Safety | Education on/enforce food safety regulations | NSW | Ryde | Metropolitan |
| PUBLIC HEALTH OUR STRATEGIC FOCUS | Obesity prevention A Deakin University project Reflexive Evidence and Systems interventions to Prevent Obesity and Non-communicable Disease (RESPOND) led by the NHMRC Partnership Project Grant will trial a whole of community approach in Northern Victoria using systems science to guide planning and implementation and accelerate efforts to prevent childhood obesity. The five-year project will target more than 30,000 children from birth to 12 years of age across 10 local government areas (LGAs), 14 health services and 116 schools in the Ovens Murray and Goulburn regions of Victoria, including those located in Greater Shepparton, Moira and Strathbogie Shires. The project is the first stepped-wedge cluster randomised controlled trial of a whole of system childhood obesity prevention approach at scale in Northern Victoria. Prior to the announcement of the REPOND Grant, a collaborative obesity monitoring program initiated by Goulburn Valley Primary Care Partnership (GVPCP) and the Greater Shepparton Public Health Advisory Committee, with the support and guidance of Deakin University developed a local healthy weight range monitoring program in 2016. A significant part of the research methodology behind this initiative is based on a community led change approach, supported by gaining and using local data in real time, then utilising a systems thinking and collective impact approach to engage the community to lead investment and commitment to long-term change through greater awareness. Primary School students in years 2, 4 and 6 were surveyed and measured to capture their health status, physical activity, nutrition and wellbeing. • From 62 schools invited across the Goulburn Valley area (GV) 39 participated, being 23 in Greater Shepparton from a possible 36 • A total of 1,616 students participated from the GV • Of 1,493 students who had complete height and weight measurements recorded 36.3 per cent were classified as overweight or obese; Greater Shepparton (GS) 37.5 per cent, Moira 33 per cent and Strathbogie 29.6 per cent | Health and Wellbeing | Education/events on food system issues | Victoria | Greater Shepparton | Regional |
| PUBLIC HEALTH OUR STRATEGIC FOCUS | Greater Shepparton is striving to be a Breastfeeding friendly city – where women can find the support they need to successfully breastfeed and find comfortable places to breastfeed, a place where professionals come to participate in high quality breastfeeding education, workplaces are encouraged to support breastfeeding, and community members and breastfeeding professionals work together to make Greater Shepparton a great place for breastfeeding • More mothers in Greater Shepparton are fully breastfeeding their babies upon discharge from hospital compared to the average for Victorian mothers at discharge. However, the proportion of babies who are fully breastfed by their mothers in Greater Shepparton drops below state averages at 3 and 6 months • At 3 months, 42.5% of infants are fully breastfed compared to 51.4% in Victoria • At 6 months, 16% of babies are fully breastfed (compared with the state average 34%) and 25% are partially breastfed by mothers in Greater Shepparton (compared with the state average of 16%). | Health and Wellbeing | Breastfeeding | Victoria | Greater Shepparton | Regional |
| PUBLIC HEALTH OUR STRATEGIC FOCUS | Increase the proportion of infants exclusively breastfed from 16% at 6 months of age 2016 (DE, MCH) | Health and Wellbeing | Breastfeeding | Victoria | Greater Shepparton | Regional |
| PUBLIC HEALTH OUR STRATEGIC FOCUS | Provide universal access to public amenities, outdoor public seating, drinking fountains and shade (LGA) | Health and Wellbeing | Access to safe drinking water | Victoria | Greater Shepparton | Regional |
| PUBLIC HEALTH OUR STRATEGIC FOCUS | Average number of daily living types present: measured as a score of 0-3, with 1 point for each category of (convenience store/petrol station/newsagent, PT stop, supermarket) within 1600m network distance | Health and Wellbeing | Accessible healthy food retail | Victoria | Greater Shepparton | Regional |
| PUBLIC HEALTH OUR STRATEGIC FOCUS | Access to Food Access to supermarkets (average distance to closest supermarket) Access to fast food outlets (average distance to closest fast food outlet) Access to services of daily living | Health and Wellbeing | Accessible healthy food retail | Victoria | Greater Shepparton | Regional |
| PUBLIC HEALTH OUR STRATEGIC FOCUS | Access to Food Greater Shepparton residents have access to affordable healthy food | Health and Wellbeing | Accessible healthy food retail | Victoria | Greater Shepparton | Regional |
| PUBLIC HEALTH OUR STRATEGIC FOCUS | As a community, we strive to make Greater Shepparton a municipality that facilitates increased physical activity, access to affordable healthy food, | Health and Wellbeing | Accessible healthy food retail | Victoria | Greater Shepparton | Regional |
| PUBLIC HEALTH OUR STRATEGIC FOCUS | By 2028 we aim to achieve: SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT Arts and Culture Access to Food | Health and Wellbeing | Accessible healthy food retail | Victoria | Greater Shepparton | Regional |
| PUBLIC HEALTH OUR STRATEGIC FOCUS | Improve access to services for older people (medical centres, community centres, hospitals, libraries, supermarkets, place on worship and public transport stops) within 1600m of residential land parcels (LA) | Health and Wellbeing | Accessible healthy food retail | Victoria | Greater Shepparton | Regional |
| PUBLIC HEALTH OUR STRATEGIC FOCUS | Liveability Indicator: Access To Food Outcome: Greater Shepparton residents have access to affordable healthy food Target: 1. Increase access to fresh affordable healthy food within 1600m of residential areas (GVCP) 2. Decrease the prevalence of food insecurity from baseline 5.4 per cent (GVCP) | Health and Wellbeing | Accessible healthy food retail | Victoria | Greater Shepparton | Regional |
| PUBLIC HEALTH OUR STRATEGIC FOCUS | RMIT’s LA demonstrated poor access to supermarkets and associated fresh fruit and vegetables in the outer areas of town. • The proportion of persons who had experienced food insecurity in the previous 12 months in Greater Shepparton was similar to the Victorian average. • Access to fast food is concentrated across the centre of town and centred along the Goulburn Valley Highway. Residents living in central Shepparton and Mooroopna live within close proximity to fast food supermarkets while residents living on the outer boundaries of town must travel up to 15km to access these food outlets. • Supermarkets are located in the central shopping and activity areas of Shepparton that provide good access (within 800m) to supermarkets for residents living within the centre of Shepparton. Residents living on the outer northern, southern and eastern areas of town have greater distances (generally above 3km) to access affordable fresh food. | Health and Wellbeing | Accessible healthy food retail | Victoria | Greater Shepparton | Regional |
| PUBLIC HEALTH OUR STRATEGIC FOCUS | Food premises inspections provide an ongoing maintenance of food preparation and storage. | Food Quality and Safety | Education on/enforce food safety regulations | Victoria | Greater Shepparton | Regional |
| Public Open Space Hire Policy | 3.1.3 On-site Food Distribution Council and the NSW State Government require the handling, storage, transport, display and distribution of food at events / festivals to be carried out in a hygienic and professional manner in accordance with the Food Act and associated regulations. To handle food CCBC or for a Corporate or Community event / festival, you are required to apply and notify two levels of government – Council and the NSW State Government. You are required to gain a “Temporary Food Vendors License” for events and/or festivals from Council. Application forms, Council's Temporary Food Stalls Code and Mobile Food Vending Code are available from CCBC Customer Services Centers at both Drummoyne and Concord. Please contact Council's Environmental Health Officers (EHO's) on 9911 6555 to discuss the set up and sale of food at your stall as an inspection of all stalls will be conducted during the event. It should be noted that all Mobile Food Vending Vehicles must be registered with Council prior to operating within the CCBC area. The Food Safety Standards were introduced in NSW in February 2001 and require a food business to notify NSW Health at www.foodnotify.nsw.gov.au of the following: ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Business trading name, Address, Proprietor’s name, Nature of the food business and Location | Food Quality and Safety | Education on/enforce food safety regulations | NSW | Canada Bay | Metropolitan |
| Public oPen sPace Plan 2016-2031 | Develop strategies and on-going funding programs for open space facilities that provide greater diversity of opportunity; e.g. environmental education trails, nature based play areas, community gardens | Sustainability and Environment | Food production on LG land | Victoria | Banyule | Metropolitan |
| Public oPen sPace Plan 2016-2031 | Identify sites where possible that aren’t considered “core” public open space; e.g. power easements, for the development of specialised open space facilities, such as fenced, off-lead dog exercise areas, community gardens, BMX jumps, etc. | Sustainability and Environment | Food production on LG land | Victoria | Banyule | Metropolitan |
| Public oPen sPace Plan 2016-2031 | Develop strategies and on-going funding programs for open space facilities that provide greater diversity of opportunity; e.g. environmental education trails, nature based play areas, community gardens | Sustainability and Environment | Home and community gardening | Victoria | Banyule | Metropolitan |
| Public oPen sPace Plan 2016-2031 | Identify sites where possible that aren’t considered “core” public open space; e.g. power easements, for the development of specialised open space facilities, such as fenced, off-lead dog exercise areas, community gardens, BMX jumps, etc. | Sustainability and Environment | Home and community gardening | Victoria | Banyule | Metropolitan |