The document summarizes Bristol's process for developing a sustainable food system plan. It describes how Bristol conducted a baseline assessment of its food system, identified 8 key areas to address, defined a vision and objectives. Bristol then published indicators reports, gathered evidence of progress, and developed a 3-year action plan with stakeholder input on outcomes and indicators. The process helped Bristol understand its food system, inform its food plan, and consider feasible outcomes and indicators to track progress. The document also provides examples of Bristol's baseline indicators, objectives, and challenges in refining its action plan and measuring impact with limited resources.

1. Reflections from Bristol
CRFS indicators workshop
FAO, Rome, April 2016
Joy Carey
Sustainable food system planning
joy@joycarey.co.uk
www.joycarey.co.uk

2. The Bristol process of
food system planning
• ‘Who Feeds Bristol’ descriptive baseline assessment of the food
system; small budget; non-academic; rapid appraisal
• Identification of 8 key areas of the food system to address:
build on strengths & address vulnerabilities
• Food Policy Council agree basic objectives for the 8 elements
of the food plan
• Define ‘good food’ in a public charter
• Set out a good food vision for Bristol and publishing an food
plan framework
• Do an updated baseline indicators review report
• Gather evidence of activity to submit for an award
application
• Work on a 3 year detailed Good Food action plan with more
stakeholder discussion on outcomes and indicators as part of
the process
www.bristolfoodpolicycouncil.org

3. Relevance/usefulness
• Bristol published the Who Feeds Bristol report in 2011.
• It has given us the only overview of the food system that we
have.
• It helps to break down the complexities and explain inter-
linkages.
• It has informed our Good Food Plan framework.
• We were able to identify 8 strategic elements of the food
system that need more attention.
• We were then able to consider outcomes, have wider
discussions and start to consider feasible indicators.
• We are now working with a more detailed 3 year Action Plan
to develop all of this work
More info on Bristol’s food journey
http://bristolfoodpolicycouncil.org/the-bristol-method-and-food-
how-we-do-it-here-in-bristol/

4. ‘Cook from scratch’Staples from city region
Diverse food retail
Engaged citizens
‘Closed loop’ systems/circular economy

5. The whole food system
Baseline data; strengths and vulnerabilities;
positive planning powers

7. Eating healthily and growing strong communities
1. ACCESS & AFFORDABILITY
2. HEALTH, EDUCATION, INCLUSION & ENGAGEMENT
Promoting a thriving sustainable food economy
3. RETAIL
4. COMMUNITY-LED TRADE
5. SUPPLY AND DISTRIBUTION INFRASTRUCTURE
6. MARKET OPPORTUNITIES FOR LOCAL REGIONAL AND
FAIRTRADE PRODUCERS
7. PUBLIC AND PRIVATE CATERING & PROCUREMENT
Taking care of the natural world
8. LAND & PLANNING
9. SCALING UP URBAN AGRICULTURE
10. REDUCING WASTED FOOD & FOOD WASTE
Bristol Good Food Action Plan themes
h`p://bristolfoodpolicycouncil.org/bristols-good-food-action-plan-2015-2018-now-released/

8. The state of good food in
Bristol 2014 – available data
• Fresh food provision: There are over five times more fast food
outlets than fresh food outlets in the city
• Healthy weight: Almost one fifth of children leaving primary school
in Bristol are obese
• Access: 16% of households in Bristol suffer from income
deprivation and so are at risk of experiencing food poverty
• Retail diversity: There are 180 shops owned by specialist retailers in
the city
• Land use: There are over 45 community based growing projects
which between them cultivate 296,570m2 of land within the city
• Quality catering: 23,620 Food for Life Catering meals are served
each day in Bristol
• Fairtrade: 39 schools and 106 businesses in Bristol have made
Fairtrade pledges.
http://bristolfoodpolicycouncil.org/what-do-we-know-about-the-state-of-good-
food-in-bristol/

9. Key policy areas & action themes
Ref: the Bristol good food action plan

10. Ref: the Bristol good food action plan

11. Baseline indicators – example 1
ACCESS & AFFORDABILITY
Ref: The Bristol good food action plan

12. Aims & outcomes
Theme: Access & affordability
Aim – Increase access to affordable good food by addressing
issues relating to food access and food poverty within vulnerable
groups
• Outcome 1a - Reduced levels of food poverty across the city
(NB food poverty is not only due to low income but is also
about lack of access, lack of skills, cultural norms etc)
• Outcome 1b - Increased access to affordable good food
provided in areas where food shops are needed
Proposed measures – (Reduced) numbers of food bank users;
(increased) numbers of people using food coops, community
shops, buying groups (from routine data collected by the
projects).
Ref: the Bristol good food action plan

13. Baseline indicators – example 2
RETAIL
Ref: the Bristol good food action plan

14. Aims & outcomes
Aim – Champion the use of local, independent food shops
& traders to help make our high streets and local shopping
centres and markets vibrant & diverse
• Outcome 3a - Diverse and successful independent food
businesses on our high streets and in our local shopping
centres
• Outcome 3b – Increased numbers and geographical
spread of shops from which people can buy a wide
range (one or more of fresh, seasonal, local and
organic, regional and fairly traded) of good food
products
Proposed measures – Number of independent food shops
and markets maintained or increased
Ref: the Bristol good food action plan

15. Baseline indicators – example 3
LAND AND PLANNING
Ref: the Bristol good food action plan

16. Aims & outcomes
Aim – To safeguard and promote the use of good quality land in &
around Bristol for food production in balance with the natural
environment
• Outcome 8a - All Bristol Development Framework documents,
including local plans, reflect ‘good food’ values and include land
allocation for food growing
• Outcome 8b - Best and good quality land is protected and
available for food production.
• Outcome 8c - Optimal use is being made of available space,
land and property assets in and around Bristol with regard to food
production.
Proposed measures – record of Bristol Development Framework
safeguards for food, and of changes made in the framework and
local plans. Record of new mapping assessments conducted, and
record of hectares of land allocation for food growing
Ref: the Bristol good food action plan

17. 2020 Aspiration:
Vision
2015 Desired Outcomes:
objectives
Inputs KPI
No.
KPIs: Outputs Data source Impact /
Outcome
For Bristol to be the
sustainable food
capital of the UK
Promote healthy, affordable &
sustainable food to the public
( ‘Transform food culture’ in the
Bristol Good Food Plan, is about
cooking from scratch, making food
growing the norm, improved food
buying choices )
Wide range of
existing
activities of the
food network
(there is no
campaign
investment)
F1
People who are involved
with food-related
initiatives; numbers who
cook from scratch, eat fresh
seasonal local organic,
grow their own
BCC Qual of Life;
Specific 2015 projects;
(qualitative discussion
from an evaluation
workshop for the
network?)
[Wellbeing
metric]
Increase access to affordable
good food
F2 No. of shops and markets
selling fresh food in each
ward; no of people assisted
BCC Economic
development; NP
groups?
A fresh food
retail survey
Make food growing/production
visible across the city
F3 No. of publically accessible
food growing sites; area of
land used to grow food
BCC data; Bristol Food
Network data
Est. carbon
saving; value of
food produced
F4 no. of people involved in
growing food
health benefits
from (mental
and physical)
F5 % respondents who eat
food grown by themselves
or by people they know
BCC Qual of Life Social
connectedness
Scaling up urban agriculture F6 No. urban agriculture
projects
Bristol Food Network;
GC food action group
Calories/tonnes
produced
locally
Encouraging healthy eating in
schools
F7 No. schools engaged in
transforming food culture
Food for Life, BCC
public health
Behaviour
change??
Reducing wasted food
F8 No. people engaged in
reducing wasted food
FareShare, BCC,
Resource Futures etc
Reduced food
waste
Transforming catering &
procurement
F9 No. catering &
procurement business
engaged
Food for Life Catering
Mark, SRA, BCC
Intellectual
value
Proposed KPIs for GC2015 Food Theme 2015
DRAFT

18. Sustainable Food City
silver award
Minimum requirements relating to their: 1) food partnership, 2) action
plan and 3) the extent to which healthy and sustainable food is
embedded in local policy.
Applicants also have to provide evidence of action and outcomes
across six key food issues:
• Promoting healthy and sustainable food to the public.
• Tackling food poverty, diet-related ill-health and access to
affordable healthy food.
• Building community food knowledge, skills, resources and
projects.
• Promoting a vibrant and diverse sustainable food economy.
• Transforming catering and food procurement.
• Reducing waste and the ecological footprint of the food system.
SILVER AWARD - achieve six points for action/outcomes under each
of the six key food issues.
http://bristolfoodpolicycouncil.org/bistols-silver-award-winning-sustainable-food-
cities-application/

19. Work in progress, plenty
of challenges!
WFB report and subsequent work on indicator baseline
report identified what kind of data is already collected and
by whom – a very good start!
• Refining action plan, clarifying what outcomes and
indicators are most feasible in the next 2 yrs (till 2018).
• Lots of gaps eg on land, on retail – discussions about
what indicators to use with projects that focus on those
areas.
• 5 indicators of resilience are still relevant, under which
much detail fits; not yet formally agreed
• The challenges: measuring impact; agreeing what to
measure; finding inexpensive ways to collect data and
gain insights into what it means; to engage decision/
policy makers, or budget holders in prioritizing this work.
• Need resources: money, time, expertise, commitment