Access to affordable, healthy and nutritious food is one of the core principles underpinning the Food Vale partnership’s work, as can be seen in our charter aim of A good meal for everyone, everyday.

We know that many people in communities across the Vale struggle to feed themselves or their families. This has worsened recently due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has created even more challenges and seen a sharp rise in the demand for food in terms of availability and affordability:

• More than one in five households in Wales whose gross household income is less than £20,000 have had to cut back on food for adults, on heating, electricity and/or water since March 2020 (Bevan Foundation).
• In 2020-21 (part year) there have been 4,490 parcels provided through the Vale Foodbank, with 46% of referrals as a result of low income (which includes those who are unemployed and experiencing in work poverty), an increase from 38% in the previous year.

The challenges are clear. But we don’t yet have the whole picture.

This project, piloted in Llantwit Major, asks the question “why can some people not have a good meal everyday” in order to investigate the reasons associated with affordability and accessibility of food.

Why do we need good food?

Good Food is food that is healthy and nutritious.

Eating well and having a healthy diet can help us all feel our best and make a big difference to our long-term health, reducing our risk of some long-term conditions such as coronary heart disease.

Eating and drinking the right food and fluid to stay healthy is important through our lives for both our physical and mental health and wellbeing. This means eating a wide variety of foods in the right proportions to make sure we have all the nutrients we need. You can find out more about what we mean by ‘good food’ by checking out the Eat Well guide which is a pictorial guide showing the proportion and types of food that are needed to make up a healthy balanced diet.

Why Llantwit Major?

Llantwit Major, like many other communities across the Vale, is home to a valuable and dedicated group of individuals and groups working to ensure their residents have access to good food. Nonetheless, it still faces the same challenges associated with food access as the rest of the Vale. Together with community members from across Llantwit Major, we aim to collect stories and experiences to build an in-depth understanding of what can be done to improve access to food. This pilot project will inform how we can potentially expand this work beyond Llantwit Major to ensure that everybody has a good meal everyday.

Mae mynediad at fwyd fforddiadwy, iach a maethlon yn un o’r egwyddorion craidd sy’n sail i waith Partneriaeth Fwyd y Fro, fel y gwelir yn ein nod siarter Pryd da i bawb, bob dydd.

Gwyddom fod llawer o bobl mewn cymunedau ledled y Fro yn ei chael hi’n anodd bwydo eu hunain neu eu teuluoedd. Mae hyn wedi gwaethygu’n ddiweddar oherwydd pandemig COVID-19, sydd wedi creu hyd yn oed mwy o heriau ac wedi gweld cynnydd sydyn yn y galw am fwyd o ran argaeledd a fforddiadwyedd:

• Mae mwy nag un o bob pum aelwyd y mae eu hincwm cartref gros yn llai nag £20,000 wedi gorfod torri’n ôl ar fwyd i oedolion, ar wresogi, trydan a/neu ddŵr ers Mawrth 2020 (Sefydliad Bevan).
• Yn 2020-21 (rhan o flwyddyn) darparwyd 4,490 o barseli drwy fanc bwyd y Fro, gyda 46% o atgyfeiriadau o ganlyniad i incwm isel (sy’n cynnwys y rhai sy’n ddi-waith ac sy’n profi tlodi gwaith), cynnydd o 38% ar y flwyddyn flaenorol.

Mae’r heriau’n glir. Ond nid oes gennym y darlun cyfan eto.

Mae’r prosiect hwn, a dreialwyd yn Llanilltud Fawr, yn gofyn y cwestiwn “pam na all rhai pobl gael pryd da bob dydd” er mwyn ymchwilio i’r rhesymau sy’n gysylltiedig â fforddiadwyedd a hygyrchedd bwyd.

Pam mae angen bwyd da arnom?

Mae Bwyd Da yn fwyd sy’n iach ac yn faethlon.

Mae bwyta’n dda a chael diet iach yn galli helpu ni gyd i deimlo ein gorau ac i wneud gwahaniaeth mawr i’n hiechyd dros y tymor hir, gan leihau ein risg o gyflyrau tymor hir fel clefyd coronaidd y galon. Mae bwyta bwyd ac yfed diodydd iach yn bwysig trwy ein bywydau er mwyn ein hiechyd a’n lles corfforol a meddyliol. Mae hyn yn golygu bwyta amrywiaeth eang o fwydydd yn y cyfrannau cywir i sicrhau bod gennym yr holl faetholion sydd eu hangen arnom. Gallwch ddarganfod mwy am beth yr ydym yn olygu wrth ‘fwyd da’ trwy edrych ar y Canllaw Bwyta’n Dda sy’n ganllaw darluniadol i ddangos y gyfran a’r mathau o fwyd sydd eu hangen i greu diet iach a chytbwys.

Pam Llanilltud Fawr?

Mae Llanilltud Fawr, fel llawer o gymunedau eraill ledled y Fro, yn gartref i grŵp gwerthfawr ac ymroddedig o unigolion a grwpiau sy’n gweithio i sicrhau bod bwyd da ar gael i’w trigolion. Serch hynny, mae’n dal i wynebu’r un heriau sy’n gysylltiedig â mynediad i fwyd â gweddill y Fro. Ynghyd ag aelodau o’r gymuned o bob rhan o Lanilltud Fawr, ein nod yw casglu straeon a phrofiadau i feithrin dealltwriaeth fanwl o’r hyn y gellir ei wneud i wella mynediad at fwyd. Bydd y prosiect peilot hwn yn llywio sut y gallwn o bosibl ehangu’r gwaith hwn y tu hwnt i Lanilltud Fawr er mwyn sicrhau bod pawb yn cael pryd da bob dydd.