Report of the Consultant in Public Health Manchester Health and Care Commissioning

This report outlines the strategic aims and objective of the Manchester Food Board (MFB) in influencing and addressing climate change, including an overview of the MFB Action Plan, updates on recent action, and priorities for 2022.

The Committee considered the report of the Consultant in Public Health, Manchester Health and Care Commissioning that described the strategic aims and objectives of the Manchester Food Board (MFB) in influencing and addressing climate change.

Key points and themes in the report included:

·         Providing an introduction and background, noting that the work of MFB reflected the breadth of issues at play in the wider food system, including food poverty, climate change, retail and hospitality, green spaces and food growing, economic development, waste and recycling, health and wellbeing, and community engagement;

·         A summary of key activities over the previous six months; and

·         A summary of key activities for the next six months.

Some of the key points that arose from the Committee’s discussions were: -

·         Reiterating the Committee’s call for immediate action to be taken to address climate change in the context of the climate emergency;

·         Recognising the importance of this work and how this impacted across a number of important key themes, including food poverty, social justice and climate change and the need to develop and deliver this programme at scale;

·         Noting that the Committee welcomed the report and recommended that a regular update on the activities described be provided to the Committee for consideration;

·         Calling upon the government to encourage and call upon large institutions, such as hospitals, to address food sustainability through their procurement process;

·         Economy of scale should be used to influence change when procuring food for schools and Care Homes, and engage proactively with the commercial sector;

·         Did the MFB have a relationship with the Manchester Climate Change Agency/Partnership;

·         How was the MFB commissioned and funded;

·         The Action Plan needed to be reviewed to include and prioritise specific actions to address carbon emissions;

·         Examples of good local practice in relation to food sustainability, such as the development of the COOP arena in East Manchester, needed to be promoted; and

·         The need to adequately fund the work of FoodSync and calling upon the Executive Member for Environment to outline proposals of how this could be achieved in the budget report that was scheduled to be considered at the February meeting.

The Consultant in Public Health, Manchester Health and Care Commissioning, stated that FoodSync had been commissioned up to March 2023 and following this a retender exercise would be undertaken.

The Chief Executive Officer, FoodSync responded by advising that the scale of the challenge was acknowledged and understood, however whilst committed they were limited due to the resources that were available to them. She stated that despite these limitations they aimed to work across all sectors and advised that the Manchester Climate Change Agency were represented on the Board, in addition to commercial representation.

The Chair noted that the Manchester Climate Change Agency were scheduled to present at the February meeting and would present an opportunity for Members to discuss how they supported this activity.

The Chief Executive Officer, FoodSync commented that she would be happy to contribute reports to future meetings, however expressed that Members needed to be mindful so as to not make this task too onerous for the limited number of staff as this would detract from delivering projects and activities. The Chair acknowledged this comment and suggested that she would discuss this further with the Executive Member for Environment to agree a way forward for future reporting and agree reporting metrics. The Chief Executive Officer, FoodSync commented that she would also be willing to arrange a workshop for Members if required.

The Executive Member for Environment advised the Members that a subgroup had been established to review the actions within the Action Plan and noted the comments raised regarding ensuring that carbon reduction was prioritised. The Chief Executive Officer, FoodSync commented that the actions had been co-produced and agreed following a consultation exercise, however acknowledged that since then priorities had changed.

Decision

The Committee recommend;

1. That the Executive Member for Environment outlines the options to increase capacity to support and deliver the work of the Manchester Food Board and FoodSync at scale within the budget report that is scheduled to be considered at the February meeting.

2. That information be shared with Members of the Committee in relation to the commissioning process at the appropriate time and Members kept informed as this progressed.

3. That a progress report is provided at an appropriate time with the content, scope and metrics that are to be included agreed by the Chair in consultation with the Executive Member for Environment.

4. That the Chair consult with the other Scrutiny Chairs to ensure that the topics and themes raised at the meetings, such as health and socio-economic barriers were considered within the remit of their respective Committees.