Locals are being asked to share stories of their food buying experiences on the Map My Food online platform, such as where they shop, how far they travel to shop for food and why they choose to shop where they do.
Researchers from Deakin’s Global Centre for Preventive Health and Nutrition (GLOBE) in the Institute for Health Transformation (IHT) and University of Newcastle Department of Rural Health (UONDRH), with key partners from Tamworth Regional Council and Hunter New England Central Coast Primary Health Network, are leading the work which began last year with funding support from the Australian Government’s Medical Research Futures Fund.
GLOBE’s Dr Cindy Needham said communities will also be asked to suggest how regional and rural communities can improve their access to good quality and affordable healthy food.
‘We know from speaking with communities and interest holders throughout the development phase that their experiences are unique to where they live and we want to gather as much of this information as we can through the Map My Food platform,’ Dr Needham said.
‘This will help us develop local strategies and activities and build the case for future grant applications to help us implement the ideas the community brings forward.
‘There is very little regionally and rurally focused research in Australia or globally that gives us the information we need to understand local food access issues and the things that make it hard for people to enjoy a healthy diet.
‘Using innovative AI technology, MAP MY FOOD enables members of the community to share their story while spatial mapping points allow them to show how far they travel to access food.’
MAP MY FOOD, was developed with Deakin’s Institute for Intelligent Systems Research and Innovation (IISRI), and is being launched in Manilla, Barraba and the broader Tamworth Region on Friday and remains open until 8 December, 2025.
The online platform can be accessed online by using the QR code or through the following link.
‘This has been such an exciting opportunity to work with communities and drive much needed research about food access in rural Australia,’ Dr Needham said.
‘The data we gather will help us identify ways to make healthy choices the easier option in rural communities and help drive change.
‘The community has been so supportive of our work over the past year. We received excellent feedback when we tested MAP MY FOOD and this has helped us refine this tool so it can be rolled out more widely across the community now.’
Read more about the MAP MY FOOD project
Read more about Dr Cindy Needham’s research
Image: File picture by Gareth Gardner, appearing in the Northern Daily Leader
Read the article in the Northern Daily Leader titled: Food for thought: survey launched to map local eating and shopping habits
Like to be involved?
If you live in the Colac Otway Shire or Tamworth Regional Council and are 13 years or older click here or meet one of our team at a community event. The latest community event dates can be found in the MAP MY newsletter here.
