Food environments shape people’s food choices, purchasing decisions and, accordingly, their diet and health. These include built food environments, such as shopping centres, markets and high streets, as well as farms and community gardens. They include food retailers where people obtain food products, including fresh produce on a daily basis. They also include digital food environments, such as the online world of advertising, marketing and media, that seek to influence our food choices.

Our food environments are saturated with marketing of unhealthy food to children and designed to shape people’s food purchasing decisions, with long-term implications for diet and health (read a news article about the rise of ultra-processed foods). We have a responsibility to work with our community and business partners to shape good food environments and increase availability, accessibility and affordability of fresh food and or good food options within the city. This includes enabling environments for breastfeeding in Council owned and managed facilities.

• Food environments provide diverse opportunities for affordable access to healthy, local and sustainably produced fresh food.
• Melbourne Town Hall catering contract provides variety in their menu options that are affordable, healthy and culturally appropriate.
• Melbourne’s childcare facilities are recognised for offering healthy food and drink options for children.
• Our community embraces healthy eating and nutritious food including fresh and seasonally available produce.
• Strong relationships between Melbourne’s hospitality and food service providers and Melbourne’s Health Services ensuring compliance with food regulation and food safety standards.