The document outlines Birmingham's Food Conversation initiative, which aims to engage citizens in a discussion about the city's food system over the next year. It seeks to understand citizens' relationships with food, capture their views on local food policies, and raise awareness of food issues. The initiative launched in October 2019 and includes an online survey, focus groups targeting underrepresented communities, and digital and in-person engagement activities. The organizers aim to gather over 2,000 survey responses by June 2020 to inform recommendations on improving Birmingham's food system.

1. Creating a Healthy Food City
Dr Justin Varney
Director of Public Health
Justin.varney@birmingham.gov.uk
Kyle Stott
Service Lead: Places
kyle.stott@birmingham.gov.uk
Shaleen Meelu
Public Health Nutritionist
Shaleen.meelu@Birmingham.gov.uk
Birmingham Food Conversation Update

2. Birmingham Food Conversation
Birmingham Food Conversation is
a year long conversation between
the city and citizens to explore
beliefs, attitudes and behaviours.
Aligned with the national food
conversation which is informing the
national food strategy review.
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Ambition is to encourage citizens to actively
think about their relationship with food from how
it is grown, transformed, transported, sold,
consumed and thrown away.
Objective
 Capture citizen voices and views on food
system in the city
 Explore policy options with citizens and
stakeholders
 Raise awareness and understanding of food
system in Birmingham

3. Launch of Birmingham Food
Conversation – 23rd October
 Joined for the launch day by the National Food
Strategy Review team led by Henry Dimbleby
 Elected member breakfast
 Special meeting of the Creating a Healthy Food
City Forum
 School food education session with CityServe
 Lunch with Anawim Women’s Centre women
 Visit with Royal Orthopaedic Hospital
 Roundtable of Food System Academics
 Community Town Hall at Balsall Health Church
Centre
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4. Video Engagement
 Food Conversation video launched on
23rd October
 Filmed by
 Developed in partnership with the Food
Foundation
 Viewed almost 500 times so far.
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5. #TalkFoodBrum
 Hashtag for the Birmingham Food
Conversation
 Significant re-tweeting and reach has
been significant to date.
 The single tweet launching the food
survey had over 1,500 impressions and
during the launch day there was a
significant blip in digital engagement.
 More to do to engage Forum and
partners using the hashtag to continue
the conversation and promote
awareness of the conversation.
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Snapshot of impact to date (12/11/2019)
• 267 tweets used the hashtag
• Potential reach to 2,349,217 unique
users
• 94 original tweets, 173 retweets
• 101 contributors
• 94.26 positive sentiment score

6. Seldom Heard Voices Focus
Groups
 The Seldom Heard Voices Food
Conversation tender was well
received, with 40 community
organisations applying to carry out
the conversations. 27 separate
organisations have been
appointed to carry out
approximately 50 separate group
conversations across a diverse
range of communities from 23
identified groupings.
 All consultations and final reports
are due to be completed in early
January.
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Category Primary Provider Secondary Provider
Homeless people including rough sleepers and
those living in temporary accommodation
SIFA Fireside Reel Access
Refugees and Asylum Seekers Food Foundation Enigma
BEEAS
First generation migrants who moved to Birmingham
in the last 5 years
The Active
Wellbeing Society
Food Foundation
3rd/4th generation children of migrants whose
grandparents or great-grandparent moved to
Birmingham in the 50s/60s
Legacy WM Ashiana Community
People with learning difficulties Reel Access Accord Housing
People with physical impairments No applicants No applicants
People with sensory impairments BID services
People of working age with mental health conditions ABIC Women and Theatre
People of working age with long term conditions e.g.
diabetes, COPD
Enigma The Active Wellbeing
Society
1st/2nd yr university students Aston University
Teenagers (14-18) Compass Support Beat Freaks
Birmingham
Childrens Trust
Older Adults Living in residential or nursing care
(over 65)
Golden Ethics
Older adults living independently (over 65) Age Concern Compass Support
Care Leavers Women and Theatre
Bham Childrens
Trust
Pregnant mothers and expectant fathers Gateway Aston University
Young Men (18-25) Princes Trust Beat Freaks
Young Women (18-25) Beat Freaks Legacy WM
Ethnic Minorities Polish Smartlyte SIFA Fireside
Ethnic Minorities Chinese/Vietnamese/Korean Michael Brown Assc
Ethnic Minorities African ASIRT Smartlyte
Ethnic Minorites South Asian BEEAS Adventures with Food
Birmingham
Settlement
LGBT Birmingham LGBT

7.  Online food survey
 Asks about food beliefs, consumption,
purchasing and policy ideas.
 Questions developed with support from the
London School of Hygiene and Tropical
Medicine and Public Health England
national food and nutrition team
 Mirrors some of the content of the Pune
citizen survey tool
 Launched through BeHeard platform
 To date over 160 people have completed
the survey
 Aiming for over 2,000 responses by June
2020.
Birmingham Food Survey
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8. Next Steps
 Continue to promote online survey
participation
 Exploring the potential to develop arts
and cultural interventions to promote
food conversations
 Engage with chefs and businesses to
promote food conversations
 More community town hall events and
offering elected members sessions at
ward forums
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