North is Up Autumn 2012 - City of Playford - SA.Gov.au
North is Up Autumn 2012 - City of Playford - SA.Gov.au
North is Up Autumn 2012 - City of Playford - SA.Gov.au
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A growing<br />
demand for<br />
healthy<br />
food<br />
choices<br />
For mother <strong>of</strong> two Julie-Anne<br />
Locke, having her children<br />
suddenly become keen vegetable<br />
gardeners has been a pleasant<br />
surpr<strong>is</strong>e and has resulted in more<br />
cooking being done at home.<br />
“I’m having to learn to cook all<br />
sorts <strong>of</strong> new d<strong>is</strong>hes.” she admits<br />
with a l<strong>au</strong>gh<br />
Josh, who’s just started primary<br />
school, and h<strong>is</strong> older s<strong>is</strong>ter Alana<br />
so far have managed to grow<br />
lettuces, strawberries and spring<br />
onions in the OPAL and <strong>Playford</strong><br />
Council-supplied ra<strong>is</strong>ed garden box<br />
– along with soil, mulch and garden<br />
tools - in their front yard. But basil,<br />
tomatoes and capsicum are on the<br />
way and Josh and Alana battle<br />
over whose turn it <strong>is</strong> with the<br />
watering can.<br />
“They both really enjoy growing<br />
the veggies,” says Julie-Anne,<br />
“and it’s been so easy to do.<br />
The lettuces really took <strong>of</strong>f and<br />
it seemed we were almost<br />
guaranteed to succeed. It was our<br />
first attempt at growing anything<br />
other than weeds.<br />
“I’d really encourage other parents<br />
to do the same and to get their<br />
kids involved. It makes them much<br />
more aware <strong>of</strong> what they’re eating<br />
– mine now keep asking ‘<strong>is</strong> that<br />
healthy food’?”<br />
Julie-Anne’s <strong>is</strong> one <strong>of</strong> 40<br />
participants that are now growing<br />
their own vegetables in the project<br />
being run by OPAL and the Street<br />
W<strong>is</strong>e Project in Davoren Park,<br />
Smithfield Plains and Munno Para.<br />
The initiative provides families with<br />
information and resources to set<br />
up a vegetable garden in their own<br />
backyards, with participants invited<br />
to join in sessions covering topics<br />
such as basic gardening, water<br />
w<strong>is</strong>e tips, composting and cooking<br />
their produce.<br />
”Th<strong>is</strong> <strong>is</strong> a great new initiative <strong>of</strong><br />
OPAL to support families to eat<br />
well,” says <strong>City</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Playford</strong> Mayor,<br />
Glenn Docherty. “There has been<br />
an impressive response from the<br />
community and we are excited to<br />
provide children in our community<br />
with an opportunity to experience<br />
growing their own produce.”<br />
It may not be a path that every<br />
parent <strong>is</strong> able to take, but there<br />
<strong>is</strong> an alternative route to healthy<br />
food and it’s one that’s been taken<br />
by the IGA store at Davoren Park,<br />
supported again by Council’s OPAL<br />
program.<br />
The IGA store was taken over by<br />
new managers about 12 months<br />
ago who were keen to make some<br />
changes. Previously, healthy food<br />
options at the store were limited.<br />
Meat choices were limited to<br />
mostly s<strong>au</strong>sages and mince. Fruit<br />
and vegetables were restricted to<br />
a single table in the middle <strong>of</strong> an<br />
a<strong>is</strong>le.<br />
Now, new refrigeration units have<br />
been installed. A selection <strong>of</strong><br />
healthy meat (chicken breasts, lean<br />
cuts <strong>of</strong> beef, etc) and an array <strong>of</strong><br />
fresh and well-presented fruit and<br />
vegetable choices are on show in<br />
new d<strong>is</strong>play units.<br />
“We have made many changes<br />
in store to ensure that we have<br />
a better range <strong>of</strong> food choices<br />
available to the community,” says<br />
store manager Patrick Ryan. “It<br />
has been great to have OPAL<br />
supporting us in making these<br />
changes.”<br />
The changes have paid <strong>of</strong>f in<br />
increased turnover, proving there<br />
<strong>is</strong> a great untapped demand for<br />
healthy food choices. Meat sales<br />
IGA store manager Patrick Ryan showing <strong>of</strong>f an array <strong>of</strong> healthy food options<br />
available at the Davoren Park store.<br />
that staggered along at around<br />
$400 a week have soared to<br />
$3,000 a week with the new,<br />
healthier cuts.<br />
With the greater range and more<br />
appealing fresh produce, fruit and<br />
veg sales have gone from $500 a<br />
week to $2,200, while water sales<br />
have gone from zero to 20 cartons<br />
<strong>of</strong> water per month – helping to<br />
replace unhealthy sugary fizzy<br />
drinks.<br />
Patrick says the next stage will<br />
see in-supermarket cooking<br />
demonstrations and tastings,<br />
recipe cards and food packs made<br />
up by the <strong>Playford</strong> Food Co-op.<br />
The changes link closely with the<br />
promotion <strong>of</strong> OPAL’s third theme,<br />
‘Make it a Fresh snack’ which<br />
encourages children, families<br />
and young people to make fresh,<br />
unpackaged snack food choices<br />
like fresh fruit, vegetables, lean<br />
meat, wholegrain breads and<br />
cereals and reduced fat dairy<br />
products.<br />
“Th<strong>is</strong> <strong>is</strong> a great example <strong>of</strong> OPAL<br />
and the <strong>City</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Playford</strong> working in<br />
partnership with local businesses<br />
to improve access to quality and<br />
affordable food choices for our<br />
community,” says Mayor Docherty.<br />
The OPAL program <strong>is</strong> a joint<br />
initiative between the <strong>City</strong> <strong>of</strong><br />
<strong>Playford</strong> and the State and Federal<br />
<strong>Gov</strong>ernments to encourage<br />
children and families to eat well<br />
and be active. The <strong>City</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Playford</strong><br />
has recently been successful in<br />
obtaining additional funding to<br />
expand the reach <strong>of</strong> the OPAL<br />
catchment to cover the suburbs<br />
<strong>of</strong> Elizabeth, Elizabeth Downs,<br />
Elizabeth Park, Elizabeth East,<br />
Elizabeth South, Elizabeth Grove<br />
and Elizabeth Vale - and an<br />
additional 26,000 residents.<br />
OPAL has recently commenced<br />
its new theme, ‘Think Feet<br />
First. Step, Cycle, Scoot to<br />
school’. The theme will focus<br />
on encouraging children, young<br />
people and parents to consider<br />
not using the car for all or part<br />
<strong>of</strong> the journey to school. For<br />
more information about th<strong>is</strong><br />
theme and the OPAL program<br />
v<strong>is</strong>it www.playford.sa.gov.<strong>au</strong>.<br />
N o r t h i s U p<br />
w w w. p l a y f o r d . s a . g o v. a u<br />
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