Tameside has been recognised on the national stage for its work to create a healthier, fairer and more sustainable local food system after achieving the Sustainable Food Places Bronze Award.
The award celebrates the achievements of the Tameside Food Partnership, which brings together organisations from across the borough including Tameside Council, The Bread and Butter Thing, Tameside Hospital, Tameside Veterans Food Co, Chiit Chaat and many other community partners.
The Sustainable Food Places Award is a national recognition for areas that take a joined-up approach to food, tackling challenges such as food poverty, diet-related ill health, food waste and support for local businesses, while promoting healthier and more sustainable choices for residents.
The Tameside Food Partnership has been working for around a decade to improve the local food environment. Recent achievements include training more than 400 Healthy Start Champions, with the Children’s Nutrition Team also training over 300 professionals and volunteers to improve knowledge around food and nutrition.
Thirty Refill Stations have been signed up across the borough to provide free drinking water, while improvements have been made to Tameside Hospital’s food offer, including replacing unhealthy snacks with fruit and introducing more sustainable menu options for patients.
Community-led projects have also played a key role. The Slow Cooker Project has provided more than 500 slow cookers to households to help families eat well for less, while the Tameside Community Food Skills Project and Tameside Veterans Food Co have delivered cooking-from-scratch demonstration sessions directly to residents and community groups.
Local organisations have worked together to reduce food waste, with The Bread and Butter Thing diverting more than 10,000 meals from waste to plates, and FareShare redistributing over 156,000 tonnes of surplus food since January 2024 alone.
Support for families has also been strengthened, with around 50 venues across Tameside now signed up to the Baby Welcome scheme through the HomeStart breastfeeding peer support service.
Cllr Taf Sharif, Tameside Council Executive Member for Population Health and Wellbeing, said:
“We’re proud that Tameside has been recognised nationally for its commitment to creating a healthier, more sustainable food system. This award reflects the hard work of our partners and communities who are making a real difference, from boosting food knowledge and skills to promoting healthier choices, supporting breastfeeding and reducing food waste.
“This recognition strengthens our determination to keep health and wellbeing at the heart of everything we do, ensuring every resident in Tameside has the opportunity to live a healthier, happier life.”
Leon Ballin, Sustainable Food Places Programme Manager, added:
“The Tameside Food Partnership has shown what can be achieved when creative and committed people work together to make healthy and sustainable food a defining part of where they live. While challenges remain, the partnership has set a benchmark for other areas across the UK to follow.”
Future plans include embedding healthier food options through planning policy, working with local businesses to promote the Healthy Start scheme, and expanding the Tameside Food Partnership to include even more organisations committed to improving the local food system.