Dawda Jatta

Dawda Jatta MBE Founder of BAMEEN CIC began planning this project after realising from his various voluntary works in Hull that most people on low income especially BME communities are less or totally disengage in environmental activities in the protection and development of their communities.

This project looks at the issues of cultural foods and healthy diets and the issues of these diets impacts on mental health and sense during the unprecedented time of covid pandemic, with the hope of adopting some of the created recipes into restaurant trade in Hull.

We work with communities to produce new recipes that more closely resemble their eating heritage. To promote healthy living, we engage through horticultural activities to produce ingredients to be used in the new recipes. The first stage of the project is very much about sharing knowledge and experiences. Second stage included an element of training in horticultural practice and all activities will be open and invitation is extended to all communities to attend.

In highlighting the importance of locally grown produce, we hope to reconnect people with their growing and eating heritages. While these cultural foods may be eaten in the homes of migrant communities. Migrants (especially from sub Saharan Africa) engagement in food industries at the high street level is significant.

While the project does not seek to engage with these enterprises directly there could be impacts upon them through the work with the communities as participants in the project may well be employers/employees of food suppliers giving the project an added dimension.