Saturday 14th December   12.30pm – 4pm, Birmingham LGBT Centre

Birmingham is working hard to become a city where all citizens can thrive and achieve their potential, and creating a healthy, affordable and sustainable food environment across the city is key to this.

When we talk about the food environment in Birmingham we are thinking about how we grow food, transform it from raw materials into dishes, sell it through shops and serve it in schools and care homes, and also how we recycle it and treat food waste.

We are really keen to hear from adults of all ages from the LGBTQI+  community in Birmingham about your thoughts on food and the food choices you make. Birmingham LGBT is contributing to this work by holding a focus group where we will be discussing these topics:

1. Food Beliefs & Choices

• What do you think constitutes a healthy diet?
• What influences your thoughts on a healthy diet?
• How healthy do you think your current diet is?
• What would they make it healthier?
• What is preventing you changing to a healthier diet?
• How have your food choices changed in recent times, if at all?

2. Access to food

• Who buys the food you eat?
• Where is it bought?
• What influences the choice of where to get food?
• How often do you eat out of home?

3. Food transformation & consumptions

• Who cooks the food in your household?
• Do you eat with family, friends – or alone?
• What influences the way food is prepared and eaten?
• How often do you eat pre-prepared food? Is this take-away food or ready meals?

4. Food security

• How secure do you feel about their access to food?
• How does cost affect what you buy?
• Is it difficult to get to where you need to be, to buy the food you prefer?
• Do you have any problems preparing food safely?

5. Food waste

• Do you have views about food waste?
• Do you throw food away often, or rarely?
• Do you worry about wasting food?
• Do you think about what happens to your waste food?

6. Food and Climate Change

• Do you think about the relationship between food and climate change?
• Does awareness of climate change make a difference to your food choices?

As a focus group participant, you will be supported to discuss these topics in a safe and welcoming environment. You will be asked to complete a consent form to take part. We will also ask your consent for any photographs that are taken of the event – you don’t have to have your photo taken if you don’t want to.

Each participant will be given a voucher for £15 to thank you for taking part.

You can find out more about the Birmingham Food Conversation from this video: https://youtu.be/Dlup5Ta7ajA – which will also be played at the focus group.

If you’d like to find out more and take part, please contact Maria on 0121 643 0821 or mariahughes@blgbt.org.

You are also welcome to complete an online survey, whether or not you are involved with the focus group – it’s here: https://www.birminghambeheard.org.uk/place/birmingham-food-survey/.