Food strategy approved to improve public health and support local farmers

Nation.Cymru staff

Plans to source more locally produced food for schools, hospitals and care homes have been approved as part of a strategy to improve public health and support local farmers and food businesses.

Carmarthenshire County Council’s cabinet has adopted the Carmarthenshire Local Food Strategy and Action Plan, setting a target for 30% of food served by the public sector to be locally sourced and sustainable by 2030.

The strategy, which will now be delivered by the Carmarthenshire Public Services Board, also aims to increase access to healthy food, reduce consumption of processed foods high in fat, salt and sugar, and create a stronger local food industry.

Councillor Carys Jones, the council’s cabinet member for rural affairs, communities and the Welsh language, said the strategy would improve access to healthier food while supporting local producers.

“The Carmarthenshire Local Food Strategy has been developed with ambitious goals including that 30% of public sector food will be locally sourced and sustainable by 2030,” she said.

“The strategy also aims to provide better access for residents of Carmarthenshire to vegetables and fruit, lower the consumption of foods that are processed or high in fat, salt or sugar, and improve the local food economy through the development of a strong and thriving food industry.”

The strategy is built around three priorities: improving public health by ensuring access to healthy, sustainable food; increasing collaboration across public sector catering and education services; and developing a resilient local food economy.

The plans include encouraging more fruit and vegetable consumption, creating more opportunities for community food projects and social enterprises, and strengthening supply chains between local producers and public sector organisations.

As previously reported, the strategy also proposes reducing the environmental footprint of public sector food by 75% by 2035, introducing local food hubs, expanding training opportunities linked to food supply chains and reviewing school menus.

Planning guidance

It also suggests new planning guidance to restrict hot food takeaways selling products high in fat, salt and sugar near schools, alongside removing unhealthy products from vending machines in public buildings by 2027.

The strategy was developed following two years of consultation and aligns with guidance from Future Generations Commissioner for Wales Derek Walker on developing local food systems.

Its adoption comes against a backdrop of rising childhood obesity. Public Health Wales recently reported that 15.2% of four and five-year-olds in Carmarthenshire were obese during the 2024-25 school year, the second-highest rate of any Welsh local authority.