Held at  the Swan Hill Performing Arts & Conference Centre, Monday 13 July 2009, the Securing the Future forum  featured Food for All project workshops, presentations from researchers and discussion on the successes and challenges in securing improved access to food for healthy eating. Placing the forum in Swan Hill provided a unique opportunity to learn about the rural and regional experience of food security.  

Presentations 

  Opening and announcement of new advocacy body  Mr Luke Donnellan MP, Parliamentary Secretary to the Premier

   Food For All program and VicHealth’s strategies to promote healthy eating Mr Todd Harper, Chief Executive Officer, VicHealth

   Making sense of sustainability: What do we really mean by sustainability in relation to the Food for All Program? 

   Making Sense of Sustainability paper  Making Sense of Sustainability paper  Dr Meg Montague, Evaluator of Food For All 

Workshop A: Partnerships beyond the health sectors – an approach to secure the future?

  Steps Towards Sustainability Pamela Morgan, City of Maribyrnong

  Wodonga Food for All project   Jan Ryan & Karan Courtney, Wodonga City Council 

  Partnership approach to redesigning food distribution in the City of Greater Dandenong Russell Shields, City of Greater Dandenong

Workshop B: Policies and Planning – develop, implement and evaluate

  Brimbank Community Plan: How do we know it is working? Translating strategic directions into actions Fiona Florakx, City of Brimbank

  Swan Hill Leisure Centre: Will the policy make a difference? Sallie Amy, Swan Hill Rural City Council 

  Changing Practice… Addressing Food Security in the Shire of Melton  Melton Shire Council

Panel research

   Healthy Eating and Food Security issues with Victorian Aboriginal Communities Dr Karen Adams, Victoria University

   Obesity and its risk factors among African migrant adolescents: assessing the role of intergenerational acculturation gap, family functioning and parenting  Dr Andre Renzaho, Senior  Research Fellow, Deakin University 

   Linking Local, Sustainable Farming with Health  Professor Alice Ammerman, University of North Carolina, USA

   Victorian Food Supply Scenarios – Impacts on availability of nutritious diets Ms Kirsten Larsen, University of Melbourne 

   Establishment of a Food Policy Coalition  Dr Cate Burns, VicHealth Public Health Research Fellow