Food City: City of Melbourne Food Policy

Food City 2024–34 will improve community health and wellbeing by strengthening and promoting a food system that is secure, healthy, sustainable, socially inclusive, equitable and resilient.

• Food Justice: good food for all, access that is dignified and equitable
• Healthy food environments and a sustainable food system
• Celebrating a thriving, local and diverse food economy
• An edible city

• Education and community development
• Partnerships
• Advocacy and leadership
• Regulation
• Research

The City of Melbourne is committed to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals as our framework for action towards the sustainable development of our city. These goals are a plan to build a greener, fairer, better world by 2030, where no one is left behind. The most applicable goals to Food City 2024–34 are:

Sustainable Development Goal One: No Poverty

• End poverty in all its forms everywhere.

Sustainable Development Goal Two: Zero Hunger

• End hunger, achieve food security, improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture.

Sustainable Development Goal Three: Good Health and Wellbeing

• Ensure healthy lives and promote wellbeing for all at ages.

Sustainable Development Goal Eight: Decent Work and Economic Growth

• Promote sustained, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all.

Sustainable Development Goal Nine: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

• Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation and foster innovation.

Sustainable Development Goal Ten: Reduced Inequalities

• Reduce inequality within and among countries.

Sustainable Development Goal Eleven: Sustainable Cities and Communities

• Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.

Sustainable Development Goal Twelve: Responsible Consumption and Production

• Ensure sustainable consumption and production.

Sustainable Development Goal Thirteen: Climate Action

• Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impact.

The Parliament of Victoria will inquire into, consider and report on the impacts, drivers of and solutions for food security in Victoria. This inquiry includes looking into the impact of food insecurity on physical and mental health as well as poverty and hardship. The inquiry will consider the options available to lower the cost of food and improve access to affordable, nutritious and culturally appropriate food.

The City of Melbourne provided two submissions into the inquiry, a partnered submission with the City of Port Phillip and a sole submission highlighting the need for more support for Melbourne residents to access food that is safe, appropriate and affordable. The City of Melbourne submission provided several suggestions to enable change and improve food access through policy and partnerships. The key recommendations of the submission included:

• Develop a food system framework
• Include food systems in the Municipal Public Health and Wellbeing Plan
• Bolster Public Health Unit Support
• Establish a food system reference group, including local government and community
• Reinvest in a ‘Healthy Food Choices’ campaign
• Support multifaceted/wrap around health initiatives

177 submissions from across the state from a wide array of organisations within the food support industry provided their thoughts and suggestions on how to create a more affordable and sustainable food system into the future. Highlighting the cost-of-living crisis was a main theme across submissions and the need for more top-down approaches from State government to empower local organisations to better support their respective communities.

Read the City of Melbourne’s submissions and all submissions External link in new tab provided as part of the inquiry.