A new borough-wide food initiative was launched at The Edge near Wigan Pier this week, bringing together organisations and leaders from across Wigan Borough to tackle food poverty and improve access to healthy food.
The Wigan Borough Food Partnership draws on expertise from Wigan Council, health services, local businesses, education, community groups, and the environmental and food sectors. The partnership aims to make healthy food cheaper and easier to buy while reducing food waste and strengthening the borough's food supply self-sufficiency.
Council tackles food system challenges
Councillor Keith Cunliffe, Wigan Council's deputy leader and cabinet portfolio holder for adult social care and health, said the borough's current food system contributes to major challenges including obesity, ill-health, food poverty and waste.
"We make lots of choices that affect our health, but we all need food — and the food we eat impacts not just our own health and wellbeing, but our economy, our environment and so much more," Councillor Cunliffe said.
Council action on advertising
Wigan Council has already introduced an ethical advertising policy to promote healthier food and restrict the way marketing companies aggressively target health-harming products to communities, particularly children and young people.