Food Standards Agency
Thursday 28 August 2008
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What is RSS?This award scheme is made annually to community food initiatives to commemorate the contribution that Dame Sheila McKechnie made in helping to set up the Agency.
Two community food initiatives will be chosen every year and each will receive 15,000 (5,000 a year) over a three-year period.
Who was Dame Sheila McKechnie?
Sheila McKechnie was instrumental in lobbying Government to establish the Food Standards Agency - an agency that would genuinely 'put consumers' first' and allay consumer concern about a range of food-related issues. She was a lifelong consumer champion, having previously been director of Shelter and the Consumers' Association (now Which?). Tragically, Sheila died on 2 January 2004, aged 55, after a long battle with cancer.
Sheila was one of the most effective and influential consumer campaigners of her generation and helped to define the consumer movement, not only in the UK but also across Europe. Sheila was awarded an OBE in 1995 for services to housing and the homeless, and made a dame in 2001 for services to consumers. The Agency is keen to commemorate Sheila's memory by developing an award in her name.
What are community food initiatives?
Community food initiatives are projects that work within a local community to help solve issues around food inequality. Many communities find it difficult to gain access to, and make choices in relation to foods that are of high quality and available at affordable prices. Consumers, especially those on low incomes, or those living in areas of economic and social deprivation are often the worst affected. Community food initiatives help to overcome some of these problems, while educating communities about the importance of maintaining a well-balanced and nutritious diet.
How do community food initiatives apply for the award?
They apply by filling in a short application form. As part of the application process, the community food initiative will also have to set out how the
15,000 (if they're successful) will be spent. It's important to emphasise that the funding shouldn't be used entirely for existing work, or used exclusively for employing staff, but it should help the community food initiative generate new ideas about how it can tackle food inequality issues and develop its work in this area.
Other information that the community food initiative will need to set out is set out below:
Include brief background information about the community food initiative
Explain your initiative's three-year Action Plan:
You will also need to explain how the project will continue with its work after the three-year funding has stopped.
How will the two successful initiatives be selected?
Staff from the Agency will consider all of the applications. They will then produce a list of short-listed applications. The short-listed community food initiatives will be contacted and a visit arranged. This is so that Agency staff can meet the key staff/volunteers and see at first hand the work that is taking place. Once the short-list has been agreed, the two referees that the community food initiative has referred too as part of the application form, will be approached for their views on the initiative and the work that it's undertaking.
Once the visits have been completed, a high level panel (chaired by Jon Snow, the Channel 4 Broadcaster and a personal friend of Sheila's) will meet for a day to discuss the merits of each short-listed application. The panel will then decide on which two initiatives should receive the funding.
What will happen to short-listed applications?
The short-listed applications that have not been selected for the awards will have their details made available on the Food Vision website.
Are the awards only available in all of the UK?
The awards are available to any community food initiative in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
If an initiative does not receive an award, can it apply again the following year?
Yes it can.
What contact will there be with the successful initiatives once the winners are announced?
The Agency is planning to provide support and assistance to the two successful initiatives throughout the three-year period.
Staff from the Agency will make 'keep in touch' visits throughout the three-year period and in partnership with the successful initiatives produce an annual update on progress.
What happens after the three years?
The Agency will work in partnership with the two successful initiatives to find out what's worked and what hasn't and make these findings available to other community food initiatives.
Where can I find out more information?
You can email us at mckechnieaward@foodstandards.gsi.gov.uk or call 020 7276 8170.
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