Torbay is amongst the latest to achieve membership of the Sustainable Food Places network in supporting their efforts to make local, healthy and sustainable food available to all in their area.

The Torbay Food Partnership is an inspirational example of how communities, businesses, and local authorities can work together to make affordable good food a defining characteristic of their place.

The Torbay partnership is hosted by LocalMotion and includes active local citizens, community builders, and people working on partnerships, as well as the environment, climate emergency, tourism, economic development, and health across community organisations, the NHS, and Torbay Council.

Jo Curtis, coordinator at LocalMotion Torbay, said: “Torbay Food Partnership has been growing since the Covid pandemic, initially nurtured by the council and then by LocalMotion.

“We have been able to hold a space to look at all parts of our food system, identify opportunities and barriers to work on, building on the fantastic work done earlier. I am grateful for the support and guidance we have received from our neighbouring food partnerships in Devon and Cornwall, so many thanks to these colleagues. We are looking forward to connecting more with local businesses, hospitality and food producers and identifying what we can do together for most impact.”

Councillor Adam Billings, Cabinet Member for Pride in Place and Parking for Torbay Council has welcomed the announcement. Councillor Billings said: “It is fantastic news that Torbay has joined the Sustainable Food Places Network. Torbay Food Partnership, hosted by LocalMotion, is a great example of what can be achieved when partners from across the public, private and voluntary and community sector work together for local people, and we will continue to build on this success.”

Sustainable Food Places is a network of cross-sector partnerships in towns, cities, boroughs and counties that are using food as a vehicle to drive positive change. With support from the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation and The National Lottery Community Fund, the network helps people and places to share challenges, explore practical solutions, and develop best practice in all aspects of healthy and sustainable food. Torbay is amongst the latest to join the network of over 100 Sustainable Food Places across the four nations of the UK. 

In Torbay, a key piece of work is helping to start community gardens so that people can grow more locally, and helping to reduce health inequalities by making healthier food options more accessible and affordable.

Leon Ballin, Sustainable Food Places Programme Manager, said: “In over 100 places across the UK, individuals and organisations have been coming together to develop a joint vision of the kind of food culture and food system they would like to see, and they are working together to make that vision a reality. Torbay has shown a real ambition to transform things for the better and we are delighted to be able to support them in achieving their goals further.”

The Sustainable Food Places network works to tackle some of biggest social, economic and environmental issues we face today, from an epidemic of food poverty and diet related ill-health, to the loss of independent high street food businesses and family farms, through to climate change, biodiversity loss, and food waste. There is no issue too big or wide.