New projects to be funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) include:
- targeting mobile greengrocer, the Queen of Greens, at social housing in Liverpool
- making sure free school meals in Wales are nutritious
- helping food pantries in the Isle of Wight, New Forest and Southampton to link up with good food suppliers
The projects are supported through UKRI’s creating opportunities, improving outcomes strategic theme.
The theme focuses on research that improves outcomes for people and places across the UK by identifying solutions that promote economic and social prosperity.
Food insecure households increasing
The rising cost of living appears to be increasing the number of food insecure households in the UK.
In 2023 to 2024, 7.5 million people were in food insecure households every month.
This is an increase of 300,000 people from 2022 to 2023 and an increase of 2.5 million people from 2019 to 2020.
Low-income and disabled groups are at a disproportionately high risk of household food insecurity and its contribution to illness.
About the six projects
The projects will improve the accessibility of nutritious food and potentially tackle food waste by making good food more available to people who need it.
Social housing mapping tool
Many people in social housing struggle to access healthy, fresh food.
In Liverpool, healthy food will come to them: a mapping tool will direct a mobile greengrocer, the Queen of Greens, to visit areas where social housing residents have poor access to food.
An add-on to the intervention will include the offer of food vouchers for purchases.
The researchers will forecast the resulting effects on health.
Public restaurants pilot for universal access to nutritious and sustainably produced foods
Two ‘public restaurants’ (state-subsidised eateries) will be piloted in Dundee and Nottingham.
They will provide universal access to nutritious and sustainably produced foods in social settings and provide an affordable alternative to unhealthy convenience food for all.
The pilots will draw on:
- public health nutrition research
- co-design sessions with a wide range of customers
- insights from public restaurants historically in the UK and in other contexts
Assessment of community food markets
The role of community food markets in areas of Glasgow with limited access to grocery stores, known as ‘food deserts’, will be assessed.
To explore successful methods to promote food markets, researchers will incorporate art and food literacy activities to one market and compare the intervention against another market without the intervention.
Increasing food quality at food pantries
The quality of food is typically low at food pantries.
Schemes in Southampton, the New Forest and the Isle of Wight will improve the nutritional food made available by using online platforms linking supply and providers.
In turn this will reduce waste and keep surplus food more local.
People using food pantries will be asked what food they would like to see on offer.
The intervention will result in a toolkit of resources that councils and pantries can use to collect data about health and diet.
Improving free school meals
Improving the nutritional content and take-up of free school meals and comparing school food systems across the UK will be the focus of a project led by academics in Wales.
Researchers will assess:
- what food is currently offered
- what food is chosen by families
- what food is consumed by learners in the dinner hall
They will then work with schools to analyse the nutritional value and how this compares to established nutrient standards.
Recommendations will be provided on how to enhance the nutritional content of school food and how to encourage families and children to take up school meals.
Workshops to reduce local food inequalities
Across England, workshops will be delivered in local authorities with more deprived populations.
The main focus will be to work with local authorities to develop and implement new policies to reduce local food inequalities.
Tackling food inequalities
Professor Alison Park, Head of UKRI’s creating opportunities, improving outcomes theme, said:
Everyone should have access to healthy, nutritious food but we know the number of food insecure households across the UK is increasing.
These innovative projects from across the UK – from Wales to Dundee, Nottingham to the Isle of Wight – will go a long way in helping us understand how to tackle food inequalities and what interventions really make a difference.
The power of research
Science and Technology Secretary Peter Kyle said:
No one in this country should be left unable to access the healthy food they need – which is why interventions like the Queen of Greens are so important – and measuring their impact is so vital.
These projects will draw on the power of research to actively explore the best ways to get healthy food into the mouths of those who need it, potentially having a transformational effect on people’s lives, and fulfilling the missions set in our Plan for Change.
Further information
Funded projects
Supporting communities in social housing and optimising urban food system interventions for equity (SCHOUSE)
Project lead: University of Liverpool
Funding: £1,528,753.12
DISHED: co-designing innovative infrastructure for sustainable healthy and equitable diets, piloting public restaurants
Project lead: Institute of Development Studies at the University of Sussex
Funding: £1,537,037.49
Community food market as a driver for equitable, sustainable food systems
Project lead: University of Glasgow
Funding: £1,054,119.27
Food aid inequality rectified (FAIR-food): using online platforms to target high quality food to food pantries
Project lead: University of Southampton
Funding: £1,564,104.88
Reducing inequalities in school food environments (RISE): supporting provision, uptake and consumption of free school meals in primary schools
Project lead: Cardiff University
Funding: £1,313,992.77
Group model building to address dietary health inequalities in English local authorities: a randomised controlled trial with process evaluation
Project lead: University of Cambridge
Funding: £1,574,904.93