Food Champions
Food Vision is pleased to take part in the 2010 Food Standards Agency's Food Champion Awards, which is open to all local authorities in England and Wales.
The awards aim to recognise and celebrate authorities that have shown innovation and leadership in their work to improve food safety and standards locally, or to improve the diet and nutrition of people in their communities.
This year the Food Champion shortlist will be selected from local authority initiatives, completed since the closing date of the previous round of Food Champions (17 December 2007) and submitted as case studies to the Food Vision website by local councils by 31 March 2010.
Five projects will be short listed from each Food Champion Awards category from case studies submitted to the Food Vision website by the 31 March 2010 closing date.
The two categories are:
- Improving local food safety and food standards
- Improving community diet and nutrition
Short listed projects will be invited to present their project in London to an assessment panel of representatives from the Food Standards Agency, Chartered Institute of Environmental Health, Trading Standards Institute and Local Authorities Coordinators of Regulatory Services.
National champions will be chosen for each of the two categories, with all short listed authorities also being recognised as part of the award process.
Do you think you could be a Food Champion? What to do next....
Food Vision aims to capture and share innovative, original and inspiring projects, so first have a look at our case studies to see the way other projects have been set out against the Food Vision application process, and indeed how your project will stand out against others.
Your next step is to visit the case study page, there you will find the Food Vision case study submission form which requires information about the project set out against the headings below. Food Vision projects must include information on:
background – including research and statistics which were used to support the work and identify local needs. Identify clear links to local strategic aims, such as Local Area Agreement targets
partners – projects must be led by local government, but a good project is also expected to have been carried out in partnership
a clear set of aims and objectives
methods – set out clearly what was done, by whom, and for how long. Documents and supporting materials, in electronic format, are welcome
resources – what was needed, where it came from and how it was obtained
promotion – has the project been promoted locally, regionally and nationally? How did you engage with the local community for the project? How has it been promoted to local councillors?
outcomes and evaluation – including a brief overview of the outcomes of the project and how they link to the initial objectives. How successful was the project, and how was it evaluated?
lessons learned and future plans – what would you do differently if repeating the project? Outline any concrete future plans and aspirations for work related to the project
When completing the form, applicants should aim to include all the information requested, as this information will be used to determine how your project addresses the key Food Champions assessment criteria of leadership, partnership, engagement, outcomes, and continuous improvement.
For more info on the assessment criteria go to the Food Standards Agency website.
Food Vision will provide advice on draft applications to ensure the case studies contain sufficient information to be useful to other authorities and listed on the Food Vision website, and also advise on the kind of information which might be useful to include to be considered for the Food Champion Awards.
Food Champion Awards winners will be announced July 2010
So start looking at Food Vision to see how your project could be showcased to other authorities and next time the Food Champion could be you!
For further details on the Food Champion Awards, including the benefits of being a Food Champion and further information on the assessment process, contact Jackie Jewett at Food Standards Agency at jackie.jewett@foodstandards.gsi.gov.uk
If you have questions about your draft case study please contact foodvision@cieh.org