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).
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Hold Ctrl to select multiple terms. Using ‘any words’ functions as an “OR” search. Using ‘all words’ functions as and “AND” search.
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| Document title | Relevant text in the policy | Domain | Topic | State | Local Government name | Council type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ANNUAL REPORT 2018-2019 | RAMADAN NIGHTS Ramadan – the holiest month of the Islamic calendar Рis celebrated by thousands from all over Sydney who flock to Lakemba for food and celebration in a safe and festive environment. ‘Ramadan Nights’ has grown so much that in 2018-19, Council took the opportunity to enhance the services we provided to ensure that crowds that reached 20,000 on some nights, continued to have the best possible experience. The event includes: • • • • road closures each Saturday night, the busiest days of the festival; increased lighting; professional first aid; free food safety kits for stallholders; and • a park and ride service to and from the event. Critical to maintaining the great reputation of the festival, is a requirement for all stallholders to attend one of Council’s free, award-winning safe food handling workshops. Council was pleased to share its experiences with neighbouring councils after being approached for advice in managing an event of this magnitude, importance and sensitivity. | Economic Development | Local food initiatives for economic development | NSW | Canterbury Bankstown | Metropolitan |
| Annual Report 2018-2019 | Design completed and the procurement process has commenced. Works will be completed in FY19/20. | Health and Wellbeing | Access to safe drinking water | NSW | Moree Plains | Regional |
| Annual Report 2018-2019 | Held a two-day Celebrate Ageing Expo providing people of all ages with the chance to enjoy, free, a range of healthy activities including Tai Chi, ballroom dancing and cooking that they may have been interested in but had been hesitant to try. | Health and Wellbeing | Education/events on food system issues | Victoria | Mildura | Regional |
| Annual Report 2018-2019 | S2.1 Moree Filling Station for Water Carts at TB11 | Health and Wellbeing | Access to safe drinking water | NSW | Moree Plains | Regional |
| Annual Report 2018-2019 | Adopted the Urban Tree Policy, updated to include detail regarding the propagation and retention of fruit bearing trees in response to the fruit fly threat | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable local food production | Victoria | Mildura | Regional |
| Annual Report 2018-2019 | S2.3 Ashley Potable Water Supply S2.3 Moree Water Security Project Approval for the bore application encountered extensive delays due to the drought, with the regulator inundated with more urgent applications. Approval for the bore application encountered extensive delays due to the drought, with the regulator inundated with more urgent applications. | Sustainability and Environment | Food supply and food system resilience | NSW | Moree Plains | Regional |
| Annual Report 2018-2019 | But we also know that many of our traditional industry sectors, such as horticulture, are facing very difficult times with water shortages and worsening natural disasters, and so we have spent some time this year working on our rating strategy, and recognising the impact of these events by changing our differential rates, to reduce the burden on dryland farming. | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable local food production | Victoria | Mildura | Regional |
| Annual Report 2018-2019 | Another challenge we need to address is the ongoing drought, which is hitting our farmers hard, and the impending increase in water prices, which will present major challenges for some of our horticulture areas. We’re not alone in many of these issues and as a result continue to work closely with bodies including the Municipal Association of Victoria, Regional Cities Victoria and the Murray River Group of Councils. | Sustainability and Environment | Sustainable water management in food production | Victoria | Mildura | Regional |
| Annual Report 2018-2019 | Another challenge we need to address is the ongoing drought, which is hitting our farmers hard, and the impending increase in water prices, which will present major challenges for some of our horticulture areas. We’re not alone in many of these issues and as a result continue to work closely with bodies including the Municipal Association of Victoria, Regional Cities Victoria and the Murray River Group of Councils. | Sustainability and Environment | Food supply and food system resilience | Victoria | Mildura | Regional |
| Annual Report 2018-2019 | But we also know that many of our traditional industry sectors, such as horticulture, are facing very difficult times with water shortages and worsening natural disasters, and so we have spent some time this year working on our rating strategy, and recognising the impact of these events by changing our differential rates, to reduce the burden on dryland farming. | Sustainability and Environment | Food supply and food system resilience | Victoria | Mildura | Regional |
| Annual Report 2018-2019 | Welcomed the Federal Government's commitment to extend the Drought Communities Program to provide $1 million funding to enable us to provide options to improve the outlook for our farmers whose work opportunities have been impacted by the drought. | Sustainability and Environment | Food supply and food system resilience | Victoria | Mildura | Regional |
| Annual Report 2018-2019 | Announced plans to introduce a kerbside Food Organics and Garden Organics service in July 2020 comprising of a weekly organics bin, a fortnightly rubbish bin and a fortnightly recycling bin. | Food Waste | Food losses and food waste | Victoria | Mildura | Regional |
| Annual Report 2018-2019 | As part of a worldwide initiative to cut the amount of plastic waste going to landfill, reduce our eco footprint and help the environment, encouraged locals to join in Plastic Free July by choosing to refuse single-use plastic items for a day, a week or even the entire month of July 2018. | Food Waste | Food losses and food waste | Victoria | Mildura | Regional |
| Annual Report 2018-2019 | We’ve also either progressed or put into motion several major new initiatives and projects that will benefit our community. They include a commitment to introduce a new three-bin Food Organics and Garden Organics service from next calendar year, and a multimillion dollar suite of road safety measures aimed at improving pedestrian and cyclist safety, funded largely by the Victorian Government. | Food Waste | Food losses and food waste | Victoria | Mildura | Regional |
| Annual Report 2018-2019 | Service/Indicator/Measure Food Safety Timeliness FS1 – Time taken to action food complaints [Number of days between receipt and first response action for all food complaints/Number of food complaints] Service standard FS2 – Food safety assessments [Number of registered Class 1 food premises and Class 2 food premises that receive an annual food safety assessment in accordance with the Food Act 1984/Number of registered Class 1 food premises and Class 2 food premises that require an annual food safety assessment in accordance with the Food Act 1984] x100 Service cost FS3 – Cost of food safety service [Direct cost of the food safety service/Number of food premises registered or notified in accordance with the Food Act 1984] $589.18 $472.11 $409.46 $310.53 2016 2017 2018 2019 5.17 4.23 1.54 . 2.83 40.58% 78.95% 62.94% 29.77% | Food Quality and Safety | Education on/enforce food safety regulations | Victoria | Mildura | Regional |
| Annual Report 2018-2019 | Service/Indicator/Measure Health and safety FS4 – Critical and major non-compliance outcome notifications [Number of critical non-compliance outcome notifications and major non-compliance notifications about a food premises followed up/Number of critical non-compliance outcome notifications and major non-compliance notifications] Comments: FS1: This timeline has increased slightly on the previous year. The availability of qualified Environmental Health Officers influences the timeliness of response. FS2: Council has continued to experience difficulty in recruiting and retaining Environmental Health Officers and as a result the number of food safety assessments completed has declined. FS3: The cost of providing the food safety service has decreased due to Environmental Health Officer vacancies over the past 12 months. FS4: The critical and major non-compliance notifications are prioritised for action. | Food Quality and Safety | Education on/enforce food safety regulations | Victoria | Mildura | Regional |
| Annual Report 2018-2019 | This service protects the community’s health and well-being by coordination of regulatory services of premises for food safety, accommodation, hair and beauty, skin penetration businesses, tobacco retailers, smoke free legislation and wastewater disposal. The service also works to rectify any public health concerns relating to unreasonable noise emissions, air quality issues and smells etc. | Food Quality and Safety | Education on/enforce food safety regulations | Victoria | Mildura | Regional |
| ANNUAL REPORT 2018-2019 | Coordinate the Crookwell Potato Festival event. | Economic Development | Local food initiatives for economic development | NSW | Upper Lachlan | Regional |
| ANNUAL REPORT 2018-2019 | Crookwell Potato coordination; | Economic Development | Local food initiatives for economic development | NSW | Upper Lachlan | Regional |
| ANNUAL REPORT 2018-2019 | It is an ongoing role of the Upper Lachlan Tourist Association through the tourism staff to assist minor and major events with planning, promotion and evaluation. Tourism staff are directly involved in the Crookwell Potato Festival and organise the Crookwell Australia Day celebrations. The 2019 Crookwell Potato Festival added its first country theme with the initial choice being Ireland. The festival was very pleased to host Eamon Robinson, the Deputy Head of Mission from the Irish Embassy in Canberra as a special guest along with celebrity chef Lyndey Milan OAM as the key attraction in the demonstration kitchen | Economic Development | Local food initiatives for economic development | NSW | Upper Lachlan | Regional |
| Annual Report 2018-2019 | 38,995 meals were provided to seniors and people with a disability | Health and Wellbeing | Nutrition in vulnerable populations | NSW | Cumberland | Metropolitan |
| Annual Report 2018-2019 | Approximately 360 children attending Council’s education and care services received a lunch box and drink bottle to use for their school lunches. The new or graduating students and their parents were provided with resources on waste-free lunches | Health and Wellbeing | Education/events on food system issues | NSW | Cumberland | Metropolitan |
| Annual Report 2018-2019 | Two food safety seminars were also presented to Council’s Children’s Services staff. | Health and Wellbeing | Education/events on food system issues | NSW | Cumberland | Metropolitan |
| Annual Report 2018-2019 | Ramadan Food Festival in Auburn | Health and Wellbeing | Traditional food cultures | NSW | Cumberland | Metropolitan |
| Annual Report 2018-2019 | Ramadan Street Food Festival in the Auburn Town Centre which was attended | Health and Wellbeing | Traditional food cultures | NSW | Cumberland | Metropolitan |
| Annual Report 2018-2019 | Approximately 360 children attending Council’s education and care services received a lunch box and drink bottle to use for their school lunches. The new or graduating students and their parents were provided with resources on waste-free lunches | Food Waste | Food losses and food waste | NSW | Cumberland | Metropolitan |
| Annual Report 2018-2019 | Resources aimed to promote the reduction of waste and single-use plastics were provided to approximately 360 children attending Council’s education and care services. The new or graduating students and their parents received a lunch box and drink bottle to use on waste-free lunches. | Food Waste | Food losses and food waste | NSW | Cumberland | Metropolitan |
| Annual Report 2018-2019 | Council’s Environmental Health Officers carried out over 1,400 fixed food premises inspections across the LGA, as well as almost 100 inspections of temporary and mobile food premises at Cumberland’s various events and festivals. This included Fun4Kids, the Cherry Blossom Festival and Auburn Ramadan Night Festival. | Food Quality and Safety | Education on/enforce food safety regulations | NSW | Cumberland | Metropolitan |
| Annual Report 2018-2019 | Council’s Environmental Health Staff were involved in a Campylobacter Survey, coordinated by the NSW Food Authority, and will present the findings at an upcoming State Liaison Group meeting. | Food Quality and Safety | Education on/enforce food safety regulations | NSW | Cumberland | Metropolitan |
| Annual Report 2018-2019 | More than 12 retail food handler seminars were delivered, with staff working with Multicultural Services NSW to provide additional translated seminars in Tamil and Korean. Two food safety seminars were also presented to Council’s Children’s Services staff. | Food Quality and Safety | Education on/enforce food safety regulations | NSW | Cumberland | Metropolitan |