A partnership helping local businesses and community groups promote healthy and sustainable food has been awarded a national Sustainable Food Places award.
Rhondda Cynon Taf Council are delighted to announce that the RCT Food Partnership has won a prestigious national Sustainable Food Places (SFP) SILVER Award.
RCT Food is a food partnership hosted by Rhondda Cynon Taf Council. Its vision is that every person in Rhondda Cynon Taf can access nutritious, affordable and sustainable food.
Having become a member of the Sustainable Food Places network and been awarded a bronze award in 2023, RCT Food Partnership was initially established following a Community Growing Solutions Network event that was held by Interlink RCT in July 2020. Thanks to the continuous hard work and dedication the partnership has now been upgraded, as it struck SILVER in the latest awards.
This demonstrates that RCT Food Partnership has a diverse, robust, and sustainable cross-sector food partnership is in place with strategic long-term plans and recognises areas that are driving innovation and best practice on all aspects of healthy and sustainable food – including a range of local authority policies and food access initiatives as well as effective promotion and access to sustainable and healthy food for all. All whilst showing it is a diverse and connected local good food movement.
Councillor Bob Harris, Cabinet Member for Public Health and Communities at Rhondda Cynon Taf Council, said:
“Rhondda Cynon Taf Council are proud to accept the SFP Silver Award on behalf of the RCT Food Partnership for their outstanding work in promoting sustainable food practices within our community.
“It was pleasing to hear the feedback from SFP which noted that there are areas of regional and national leadership and that RCT Food Partnership approach to governance is strong and community input and inclusivity is evident throughout – Great work by all!
“The Community Development Team’s commitment to promoting healthy and sustainable food has contributed towards positive social change across the County Borough and towards a healthier future
“I send my congratulations to the team, and the partnership, for being recognised with this well-deserved award.”
Rhondda Cynon Taf are currently one of only 10 Welsh local authority areas to receive the Sustainable Food Places Award since their inception in 2015.
Leon Ballin, the Sustainable Food Places Programme Manager, said:
“RCT Food partnership has shown just what can be achieved when creative and committed people work together to make healthy and sustainable food a defining characteristic of where they live. While there is still much to do and many challenges to overcome, RCT Food Partnership has helped to set a benchmark for the other 120+ members of the UK Sustainable Food Places Network to follow. They should be very proud of the work that they have been doing to transform our collective food culture and food system for the better.”
The Sustainable Food Places programme work across six key areas:
- Taking a strategic and collaborative approach to good food governance and action
- Building public awareness, active food citizenship and a local good food movement
- Tackling food poverty, diet related ill-health and access to affordable healthy food
- Creating a vibrant, prosperous, and diverse sustainable food economy
- Transforming catering and procurement and revitalizing local supply chains
- Tackling the climate and nature emergency through sustainable food and farming and an end to food waste.
For more information on the RCT Food partnership visit www.rctcbc.gov.uk/RCTFood and for more information on Sustainable Food Places please visit https://www.sustainablefoodplaces.org/.
View the strategy here -
https://www.rctcbc.gov.uk/EN/GetInvolved/RCTTogetherSupportingCommunitiesandResidentstoThrive/PDFfiles/RhonddaCynonTafSustainableFoodStrategy20252030.pdf
Posted on 22/12/2025