Sadly, many people in this country face food poverty and insecurity, made worse by the cost-of-living crisis in the UK. The problem is often compounded by limited local access to healthy affordable food sources. Making good food available to everyone is possible, with a joined-up approach involving everything from food procurement and catering to growing community food and eliminating food waste.
If you want to read or listen to a couple of inspiring examples, look below. If you are already doing something, then jump here if you want to do something bigger.
Inspiration read
Nourishing life in Cardiff
Food Cardiff
Food Cardiff is a city-wide food partnership connecting community food initiatives, local businesses and the council. It acts as a central community food hub that promotes healthy, environmentally sustainable food across Cardiff while advocating for change. As a network of 115 organisations, Food Cardiff looks after a thriving system of community food banks, food co-ops, and breakfast clubs, creating a more resilient food network. The partnership is part of Food Sense Wales, which aims to grow a just, connected and prosperous food system in Wales. In October 2024, Cardiff became one of only four cities in the UK awarded Gold in the Sustainable Food Places programme (alongside Brighton & Hove, Bristol and Cambridge), for their outstanding progress and impact.
Sustainable Food Places
The Sustainable Food Places programme, delivered by Food Matters, The Soil Association and Sustain, helps launch and support food partnerships across the UK. These partnerships adopt a holistic approach, ensuring that everyone has access to healthy, sustainable food while minimising food waste. These community food initiatives, such as Food Cardiff, are now a national movement creating healthier and more sustainable food systems within their areas, with strong support from a growing list of local councils. To date, over 80 places have Sustainable Food Partnerships – in areas that cover more than 30 million people.
A more sustainable food future
By championing a whole system approach, food partnerships interconnect issues such as food poverty, ill-health, agriculture, food security and climate change, to develop cross-sector solutions that are transforming food and farming in the UK. This collaborative, ground-up approach enables a food partnership to have wide ranging impact across the food system, transforming food governance and building more sustainable and resilient local food economies.
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Inspiration listen
Do Something Bigger
What would inspire you to do something bigger for climate and nature? In this, the first episode of the Carbon Copy Podcast series, Do Something Bigger, we introduce our year-long campaign: 25…
Do something bigger
What kind of food partnership would make your town or city a better and healthier place to live in? Here are three different ways of bringing community groups and organisations together to create healthier and more sustainable food systems locally.
Map your local food web
A local ‘food web’ describes the links between local food producers, retailers and consumers. The mapping process helps to increase people’s knowledge of where their food is sourced and how it is produced, distributed and sold. It can be used by community groups and organisations that are part of the food web to protect and strengthen their local food system which supports their health, nature and the local economy. For help in understanding your local food system and how to change it, Food Matters has produced a useful food web toolkit.
Nourish a community food garden
LCommunity food gardens produce much more than food; they are important spaces that also support people’s health and wellbeing, increase biodiversity locally and provide education and training opportunities. There are over 4,100 food gardens in the UK, supported nationally through Good to Grow and in London as part of Capital Growth – where 66,000 people regularly take part in food garden activities in the capital. With more support from community groups and local councils, the Good to Grow network of food gardens can reach every city and local area in the country! To hear how two urban communities – one in Scotland and one in England – are getting both social and nutritional benefits from growing food, listen to this inspiring podcast episode: Nourishing Connections
Advocate for a better local food system
Sustain is an alliance of organisations and communities that are working together for a better system of food, farming and fishing. Together, they advocate food and agriculture policies and practices that enhance the health and wellbeing of people and animals; improve the working and living environment; and promote equity and the bigger movement for change. Projects and campaigns cover local action, sustainable farming, good food for all and the climate and nature crises. Make your voice louder by working with their members and supporters, to improve the aspect of your local food system where your area needs the most help.
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Farm with nature
Produce local food
Reduce food waste
Food & Agriculture
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