What we've done so far

Between September 2022 and February 2023, an extensive consultation process took place in Banyule. A diverse range of stakeholders, residents and Council staff were engaged to develop a preliminary community vision for Banyule’s urban food system. 644 people were engaged during this time including:

• 194 people attended community pop-ups
• 66 people attended kitchen table talks
• 304 community and staff completed online surveys
• 18 people attended workshops
• 62 community and staff attended focus groups.

A full analysis of your responses can be found in the findings report.

What you told us

Community responses and your participation has resulted in a number of interesting findings including:

• 1 in 5 people experience some level of food insecurity
• There is a 3 to 1 ratio of unhealthy food outlets compared to healthy food outlets.

Other high level data is presented below.

Ways that residents access food

Barriers to people accessing and choosing healthy food options

Community Priorities

Our first Urban Food Strategy is being developed in partnership with Sustain, The Australian Food Network and is a blueprint for creating, celebrating and enhancing Banyule’s food systems to ensure they are:

• healthy
• sustainable
• equitable
• inclusive
• accessible.

The ‘food system’ is everything that happens from farm to fork - the web of people, processes and interactions involved in growing, processing, distributing, selling and disposing of the food we eat. It affects human and environmental health in many ways.

Diverse community voices and their input are fundamental to the development and shaping of a responsive Urban Food Strategy.