Good (fresh) news on food for remote Indigenous communities
Media Release
25 June 2006
Good (fresh) news on food for remote Indigenous communities
Transport operators working in remote areas, community representatives and health professionals agreed this week to work together to improve the delivery of fresh food to Indigenous stores in remote areas. They agreed to increase national effort to check the security of each step in the cold chain system that stretches from where fresh food is sourced to where it is finally bought and consumed. This will entail both the adoption of some new technologies and work practices, and a commitment to ongoing collaboration between the community, private transport and government sectors in remote areas.
Seventy people, including representatives from of some of Australia's most remote areas, met in Adelaide to consider urgent and practical action on these matters. "It was fantastic to have so many people from remote areas. This clearly shows the seriousness of the situation and the strong desire to improve things," said Gordon Gregory, of the National Rural Health Alliance. "There are already some good models in place, including those covering a number of Indigenous stores in a region. This gives better buying power and more sensible logistical arrangements."
"However there are also regions in which the situation can clearly be improved - where the delivery of fresh food is jeopardised by seasonal or human issues, and where in some cases delivery is not regular enough to support good health."
"This is obviously a big health issue for the communities concerned and the meeting was attended by a number of health officials and nutritionists," Mr Gregory said. "From the Forum there will be resource materials to help people in remote communities work through the economic and logistical challenges they face. The Forum has also resulted in a new network of technical services that can support the cold chain to remote areas. Much of the information from the Forum will be available soon on CD ROM and the web, thanks to NetSpot Communications. The work of the Forum will also continue through follow-up visits to communities that have sought assistance," Mr Gregory said.
The Forum's work dovetails with the ongoing activity of the Remote Indigenous Stores and Takeaway (RIST) project, which involves five State/Territory and the Australian Government. Support for the Forum was provided by the Australian Department of Health and Ageing and the event was organised for RIST by the NRHA. The NRHA will be following up the work by promoting policy and program ideas related to safe delivery of fresh foods to remote communities.
25 June 2006
Good (fresh) news on food for remote Indigenous communities
Transport operators working in remote areas, community representatives and health professionals agreed this week to work together to improve the delivery of fresh food to Indigenous stores in remote areas. They agreed to increase national effort to check the security of each step in the cold chain system that stretches from where fresh food is sourced to where it is finally bought and consumed. This will entail both the adoption of some new technologies and work practices, and a commitment to ongoing collaboration between the community, private transport and government sectors in remote areas.
Seventy people, including representatives from of some of Australia's most remote areas, met in Adelaide to consider urgent and practical action on these matters. "It was fantastic to have so many people from remote areas. This clearly shows the seriousness of the situation and the strong desire to improve things," said Gordon Gregory, of the National Rural Health Alliance. "There are already some good models in place, including those covering a number of Indigenous stores in a region. This gives better buying power and more sensible logistical arrangements."
"However there are also regions in which the situation can clearly be improved - where the delivery of fresh food is jeopardised by seasonal or human issues, and where in some cases delivery is not regular enough to support good health."
"This is obviously a big health issue for the communities concerned and the meeting was attended by a number of health officials and nutritionists," Mr Gregory said. "From the Forum there will be resource materials to help people in remote communities work through the economic and logistical challenges they face. The Forum has also resulted in a new network of technical services that can support the cold chain to remote areas. Much of the information from the Forum will be available soon on CD ROM and the web, thanks to NetSpot Communications. The work of the Forum will also continue through follow-up visits to communities that have sought assistance," Mr Gregory said.
The Forum's work dovetails with the ongoing activity of the Remote Indigenous Stores and Takeaway (RIST) project, which involves five State/Territory and the Australian Government. Support for the Forum was provided by the Australian Department of Health and Ageing and the event was organised for RIST by the NRHA. The NRHA will be following up the work by promoting policy and program ideas related to safe delivery of fresh foods to remote communities.
posted by Anon at 7:37 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home