Our Public Health Nutrition Team support local organisations and community groups to address health and economic food issues, particularly with staff who work with vulnerable individuals and families.

Our approach has a strong emphasis on building capacity, engagement and a focus on sustainability.

Enabling organisations to be the catalyst and lead in their own communities to use food activities as a mechanism or vehicle to promote positive changes in health.

Areas of work include:

• Nutrition Resources – Developing resources and toolkits to support delivery of national nutrition messages at a local level.
• Training – For staff and volunteers within NHS, local authority and voluntary organisations.
• Funding – Providing opportunities for organisations to host their own food activities.
• Campaigns – Raise awareness of key nutrition messages through a variety of marketing and social media strategies.

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Forth Valley Food Futures

Forth Valley Food Futures is the home of the region’s cross-sector Food Partnerships working together to transform our food systems to positively benefit wellbeing, health, economic development and to protect nature and the environment.

• Forth Valley Food Futures
• Forth Valley – Sustainable Food Directory
• Forth Valley – Sustainable Food Map

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Cost of Living Support

The cost of living crisis presents an ongoing challenge to people and families across Scotland, with many struggling to make ends meet. The Scottish Government has launched a new website that brings together in one place information on support, grants, benefits and advice, in order to help people find what support they may be entitled to.

• Visit scot.gov for more information.

Local Support

Food and Drink in Forth Valley

Forth Valley Food and Drink – There’s never been a better time to enjoy and explore Forth Valley’s rich local larder.  From food festivals to farmers’ markets; artisan producers to agricultural tours; dairies to distilleries; our region is overflowing with the finest food and drink experiences.  Forth Valley Food and Drink also have a Facebook, Twitter and Instagram account.

Vitamin D Supplement Advice and How to Access Locally

It is important that we all get enough vitamin D because it has a number of important functions; in particular, it is needed to support good bone and muscle health.

Our main source of vitamin D is sunlight and in Scotland from October to March, we don’t get enough sunlight, therefore we need to rely on vitamin D from food. Since vitamin D is found naturally in only in a small number of foods.eg oily fish and eggs or it is added to some foods like breakfast cereal and spreads it is difficult to get enough from food alone. It is therefore important that we take a daily supplement containing vitamin D.

During the winter months October to March everyone including children should consider taking a daily supplement containing 10 micrograms (µg) of vitamin D.

It is also recommended that some people are at higher risk of vitamin D deficiency and they should take a daily supplement all year round.

• Find out more about Vitamin D – advice for all age groups
• Vitamin D and You – Leaflet
• Why do you need vitamin D supplements? (Food Standards Scotland)

Pregnant Women

Healthy Start vitamins, which contain10µg of vitamin D, are available free to all pregnant women in Scotland.

Ask your midwife or health visitor for further information.

Breastfeeding Women, Babies and Young Children

Breastfeeding women and babies under 12 months in Scotland can get free vitamin D supplements containing 10µg the recommended daily amount of vitamin D. Please speak to your family nurse or health visitor to find out if your baby or child needs a vitamin D supplement.

Vitamin D supplements can also be purchased from supermarkets, pharmacies or online. Please do not buy a vitamin D supplement that contains more than the recommended daily dose of 10µg.

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