Food & Health National Programmes

Details of the food related initiatives being run in the West Midlands:

  • Change for Life
    The Change4Life advertising campaign will make the subject of weight and physical activity a hot topic and will urge us to make changes to our diet and levels of activity. The campaign talks about ‘fat in the body’ rather than ‘fat bodies’ and makes clear the link between fat and preventable illnesses. It also pins the blame on modern life, which affects all of us, rather than pointing the finger at parents.
  • 5 A Day
    Find out more about the benefits of eating 5 A DAY and how you can get involved.
  • FEAST Network in the West Midlands
    The website provides information about the School FEAST Network. In each of the sections on the site you can learn more about who is a member of the Network, what they can offer to the school food workforce and their employers, and why the Network has been established.
  • Food Partnership Programme
    The food in schools primary training programme provides teachers with an excellent opportunity to enhance and develop their knowledge, skills and understanding about food and cooking in the primary curriculum.
  • Heart of England Fine Foods (HEFF)
    HEFF is the regional food group for the West Midlands representing local producers and are proud to have such diversity and quality amongst them.
  • National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP)
    The NCMP is one element of the Government’s work programme on childhood obesity, and is operated jointly by the Department of Health (DH) and the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF). The NCMP was established in 2005.
    Every year, as part of the NCMP, children in Reception and Year 6 are weighed and measured during the school year to inform local planning and delivery of services for children; and gather population-level surveillance data to allow analysis of trends in growth patterns and obesity.
    The NCMP also helps to increase public and professional understanding of weight issues in children and is a useful vehicle for engaging with children and families about healthy lifestyles and weight issues. To encourage engagement, parents can request their child’s results from their Primary Care Trusts (PCTs).
    Also see the Information Centre website where you can view the results of the survey.
  • School Food Trust
    The trust was established by the Department for Education and Skills in September 2005. Its remit is to transform school food and food skills, promote the education and health of children and young people and improve the quality of food in schools.
  • Think Food and Farming
    Think Food and Farming is the exciting legacy project building on the successes of the Year of Food and Farming. It will promote healthy living by offering children and young people direct experience of the countryside, farming and food through growing and cooking activities, and visits to farms.
  • National School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme
    The School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme is part of the 5 A DAY programme to increase fruit and vegetable consumption. Under the Scheme, all four to six year old children in LEA maintained infant, primary and special schools will be entitled to a free piece of fruit or vegetable each school day.
  • Million Meals campaign
    A revolution is underway in school food. Since September 2006, every pupil taking a school lunch is guaranteed, by law, a balanced, nutritious meal. We now need to make sure they are eating them and the 'Million Meals' campaign aims to do just that.
  • Healthy Start
    With Healthy Start, people on certain benefits can get free vouchers every week which can be exchanged for milk, fresh fruit, fresh vegetables and infant formula milk. You can also get free vitamins. Healthy Start replaces the Welfare Food Scheme.
  • Let’s Get Cooking

    Let’s Get Cooking is a 5 year, £20 million programme, supported by the BIG Lottery Fund, to set up a network of 5,000 cooking clubs across England. Two regional co-ordinators are working to establish clubs across the West Midlands.

  • Central England Trading Standards Association (CEnTSA)

    CEnTSA are committed to ensuring effective partnership working between local authorities across Central England to achieve measurable improvements in Trading Standards for all those who may benefit.