Access to a balanced, healthy diet is important in the early years of life. Improving maternal and infant nutrition is a key priority in Scotland and there is evidence that more food and health work needs to be delivered within minority ethnic communities. Experience from community groups already suggests that food and health work with minority ethnic children and families develops and increases their skills around accessing healthy food, improves their interaction with their children and reduces their sense of isolation from other local communities.

Funding has now been allocated to nine groups to carry out aspects of the following.

• Royal Environmental Health Institute for Scotland (REHIS) Elementary Food and Health Course (up to a maximum of 10 participants)
• Royal Society of Public Health (RSPH) (maximum of one certificate course)
• Registration with REHIS as an Elementary Food and Health tutor (maximum registration costs of one tutor).

The organisations involved are meeting on 22 July for a networking and evaluation workshop to learn about and share their experiences of providing training and support to staff, volunteers and services users in food and nutrition to support their work with children, pregnant women and families from minority ethnic communities.

A report on their activity will be available later in the summer. For more information contact Sue or Ger.