It’s a local delicacy: a polystyrene box filled to the brim with chips, fried rice, onions, and sticky sweet and sour sauce, all for £1.50. Quick, satisfying, and cheap. And definitely not the healthiest option available. Once in a while, I’m sure the ‘lunch specials’ from our local carry-outs would do no harm, but they often seem like the norm rather than the exception around here. Unfortunately, the combination of poor diet, smoking, and alcohol abuse are but some of the factors contributing to shocking health statics in Glasgow. A recent report from the WHO showed that there is huge discrepancy in life expectancy of over twenty years exists between deprived inner-city neighbourhoods and the suburbs. Particularly disturbing is that the current life expectancy in the Gaza strip is greater than that of the Carlton, a neighbourhood just east of us.

So good food, and more generally, physical health, is a serious issue. Looking at the many dietary laws in the Old Testament, the debates about clean and unclean foods in the early church, and Jesus’ fondness for the imagery of the feast in his teaching, it seems that God is not ambivalent about food. Moreover, it’s God’s desire that the whole of life is transformed (e.g. John 10:10), and physical health is undoubtedly part of that.

Refugees who are dispersed to Glasgow are usually housed in these deprived areas. The current support they receive is approximately £42 per week; that’s only £6 for each day. When you consider the cost of transport (£2 for a return journey to the city centre) and other necessities, that doesn’t leave much excess for healthy food. It’s especially difficult for those whose staples from their home countries are much less affordable here (the British isles are unique in having the potato as a primary staple). The easy option of a cheap carry-out soon becomes very attractive. Emma and I realise the cost involved in trying to eat healthy... even if you cut out carry-outs, processed foods in the supermarket are generally cheaper than the fresh options.

But it’s not all doom and gloom. I’ve become very impressed with the work of a local charity – the North Glasgow Community Food Initiative. They run a food co-op where fresh fruit and veg is sold at very low prices in a variety of local venues each week (some of their produce is even grown locally in allotments – another perk for the environmentally conscious) and educate the community in gardening, cooking, and healthy living. I’ve started to shop at the food co-op myself. It’s a wonderful resource; I was able to buy a punnet of strawberries, blueberries, garlic, courgettes, spring onions, bananas, and aubergine for less than £2!

Aside from the obvious advantage of making healthy food more affordable to the community, it has become a cross-community meeting place. Both refugees and indigenous Glaswegians take advantage of the service on offer – so they help serve the community, while building community. There’s much more awareness currently about purchasing local produce, organically grown items and eating according to the seasons but the prices in the supermarkets can make this a luxury available only to those with plenty of disposable income. The food co-op makes it available to all and it also gives people the opportunity to volunteer and contribute to the project, something particularly valuable to asylum seekers who are not allowed to work. It has become a life-line for one refugee, a farmer before he had to flee his home. He now helps with selling and growing food for the co-op, giving a sense of empowerment and the satisfaction that comes after a day’s labour.

Every Tuesday, the NGCFI opens in the St. Rollox Church of Scotland. This is the same time when the refugee drop-in centre is open... it’s been quite exciting to work alongside them and we’re looking forward to building relationships with them, as they are but one of the exciting things happening in our area.