To ask the Minister of Health whether his Department will consider funding community-led healthy eating initiatives, including free basic cookery classes, as part of preventative health strategies.

The Public Health Agency currently commissions and funds a number of community-led healthy eating initiatives which include ‘Nutrition matters for the early years,’ ‘Cook It!,’ ‘Food Values,’ and ‘Food and Health Essentials.’ These programmes are contracted to increase knowledge and understanding of healthy eating and develop cooking skills, building both confidence and competence.

Safefood funds the Community Food Initiative across the island of Ireland. Since 2010, over 50,000 people have taken part in Community Food Initiative activities gaining practical tips in food and healthy eating, healthier shopping, and cooking skills for healthy eating. They support local initiatives with a range of online, video and print resources to encourage people to develop healthy eating skills and knowledge. The 2025-2028 programme is funding 28 community initiatives.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has a Making Food Better programme which supports food businesses to make the food environment healthier by reducing calories, saturated fat, sugar, and salt in the food they produce sell or serve, reduce portion size, provide nutritional information, and deliver responsible promotions.

The FSA also collaborates with partners to implement nutritional standards in Health and Social Care, public sector, and local council settings to ensure healthier options are available for staff and visitors.

The FSA provides guidance for a range of food businesses, including fast food outlets, on providing and promoting healthier food and drink. The FSA recently commissioned research to investigate the availability of fast-food outlets and grocery retailers in Northern Ireland, and their proximity to secondary schools which will help to inform the FSA’s work on the food environment.