All change. Has COVID-19 transformed the way we need to plan for a healthier and more equitable food environment?

Abstract

The food environment has taken on much of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Evidence shows people's relationship and access to the food environment is a determinant of their health and wellbeing, and in relation to prevalence of chronic and non-communicable diseases. The spatial planning system forms part of a whole systems action in shaping the environment in a way that maximises population health gain. While these practices have had varying degrees of success, the sudden introduction and spread of COVID-19, and the responses to it, has forced us to re-examine the utility of current planning practice, particularly the impact on inequalities. In this commentary we aim to explore the post-pandemic role of spatial planning as a mechanism for improving public health by highlight a whole system perspective on the food environment, referring to experiences in Wales as a case study, and concluding with observation on future consumer trends around access to food.