Fair Food for All

Fair Food Aberdeenshire (FFA) believe everyone should have access to affordable and healthy food no matter where they live or how much they earn. Nutritious food is a basic right and a vital resource to everyone and changing the way we think about food can play a key role in transforming communities. From diet-related ill health to food waste, our food system provides challenges but also opportunities to reduce inequalities, increase employability and reduce the carbon footprint of our food system.

Where we live plays a significant role in the food we choose to eat and our current environment contributes to inequalities we see between the most and least deprived areas. The poorest households spend a significantly larger proportion of their income on food with healthy, sustainable produce being more expensive and out of reach. Due to the vast area and rural nature of Aberdeenshire, access to affordable, healthy food is a challenge that is often unperceived when we think about food insecurity. Aberdeenshire has one of the highest levels of people living in ‘access deprived’ areas in Scotland, contributing to higher fuel costs, reduced mobility and little or no access to affordable food. FFA aim to ensure that high quality food provision is accessible as well as identifying other key factors that contribute to food insecurity.

It is vital that we eat a nutritious and balanced diet to improve our wellbeing, but that food should not be detrimental to our environment or the people that produce it. We therefore will ensure that we work toward improving the sustainability of the food eaten in Aberdeenshire by promoting sustainable procurement and championing fair wages.

A Sustainable Food Plan

Aberdeenshire hosts a variety of groups and organisations who are passionate about sustainable food, the region, and its world-famous produce. We aim to celebrate the extensive larder Aberdeenshire has to offer and help to make good food a characteristic of the place we live. We will deliver our vision by building cross-sector relationships and bringing together everyone where a fair and sustainable food system is their common goal. With a partnership approach, expertise from areas across the food system and those with direct experience, we will develop a holistic and community-led sustainable food plan for Aberdeenshire.

The aim of the partnership is to develop a holistic approach to tackling a range of food related issues. By adopting a partnership approach, FFA will develop and implement a community-led action plan. The plan will cover the entire food chain, from field to fork: the production, processing, marketing, distribution, sale, and purchase of food and the consumer practices, resources and institutions involved in these processes.