Food activism UK

Crowds shopping at Borough market, south London. Attribution: Andy F

This article focuses on information specific to United Kingdom. Please see our Food activism page for a topic overview.

Resources[edit | edit source]

Networks[edit | edit source]

• Good to Grow, network "all about getting people involved in their local community garden." A project of Sustain: the alliance for better food and farming. Map: goodtogrowuk.org, added 20:56, 14 March 2022 (UTC)
• Independent Food Aid Network UK, added 16:24, 24 May 2021 (UTC)

• Landworkers' Alliance
• The National food service, added 20:07, 19 December 2020 (UTC)
• Incredible Edible network, global network originating in, and with many members in the UK - 10 Steps Toward an Incredible Edible Town
• Open Food Network, "An open marketplace that makes it easy to find, buy, sell and move sustainable local food."
• Sustainable Food Cities

Apps for sustainability[edit | edit source]

• Landshare, high-profile national garden sharing project in England, spearheaded by celebrity chef and TV personality Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, in conjunction with public-service broadcaster Channel 4. Growers, landowners and volunteers can, at no charge, register their interest in participating in a share in their area. There are over 55,000 members. Although this is a number that have registered since 2009 when the social enterprise was first publicized widely, since then its activity has decreased. ^W
• LandSpot, mapping derelict land across the UK that could be put to growing use
• LetsGrow, helping to get your council take your request for an allotment seriously!

Funding community action[edit | edit source]

Daylesford Foundation

How to's[edit | edit source]

• Moving food markets and farmers' markets online, community.openfoodnetwork.org.uk, added 16:00, 20 April 2020 (UTC)
• How to start a community gardening group, April 9 2016 telegraph.co.uk
• How Your Neighbourhood Can Have Its Own Community Allotment, August 14, 2015 huffingtonpost.co.uk

Maps for community action[edit | edit source]

• Find a better food trader, betterfoodtraders.org, added 14:45, 26 January 2022 (UTC)
• Community Orchards map from People's Trust for Endangered Species
• FoodTrade

Policies[edit | edit source]

A People's Food Policy[edit | edit source]

Article series: A People's Food Policy

A comprehensive proposal for a more just and sustainable food system in England^[1]

A ground-breaking manifesto outlining a people's vision of food and farming in England that is supported by over 80 food and farming organizations. The report draws on 18 months of extensive, nation-wide consultations with grassroots organizations, NGOs, trade unions, community projects, small businesses and individuals. It has resulted in a set of policy proposals and a vision for change that is rooted in the lived experiences and needs of people most affected by the failures in the current food system.

A People's Food Policy is an extensive report, extending to 100 pages across 9 thematic chapters covering governance, food production, health, land, labour, environment, knowledge and skills, trade and finance - each with an in depth analysis and policy proposals for transforming the food system in England. June, 2017

Other references[edit | edit source]

• The National Food Strategy, An independent review for government, July 2021

Research[edit | edit source]

Innovative Farmers, "network of farmers and growers who are running on-farm trials, on their own terms."

Agroforestry Research Trust

Rethinking Britain's Food Security - Soil Association, pdf, 2008

Video for community action[edit | edit source]

More Video:

Gleaning Network UK on Vimeo

The Big Lunch 2013 (longer version) on youtube

Local Food Roots, a film celebrating the local food movement in the UK, 35 minutes

Everyday Growing Futures (13 minutes, 2013) on youtube

Tim Lang & Andrew Simms in Conversation, on youtube, 2009

Other resources[edit | edit source]

• FOOD CITIZENSHIP, How thinking of ourselves differently can change the future of our food system. Findings of the Future of Food: a collaborative innovation project, added 19:15, 17 May 2020 (UTC)^[2]
• Community Land Advisory Service
• Community supported agriculture, information from the Soil Association

• The Ecological Land Co-operative, supporting and enabling low-impact development in the UK ^W
• Everyday Growing Cultures, site includes a toolkit to help getting started with community growing
• Feeding Body and Soul, Year-Long Photographic Exploration of An Agrarian Renaissance
• Master Composters, Garden Organic has trained over 600 Master Composter volunteers from around the UK to spread the home composting message. ^W
• Growing for change: creating good livelihoods for a better food system, A guide for community food enterprises sharedassets.org.uk

• Community Fridge, Hubbub Foundation
• Local Land Economies, from sharedassets.org.uk, see also Land Explorer, a project from Shared Assets, helping you find information on land in the UK
• Local economic resilience: the role of community food enterprises, a guide for local authorities, from sharedassets.org.uk
• Master Gardeners, Garden Organic's Master Gardeners Programme trains and supports mentors and community growing initiatives around the Country working with Local Authorities, Housing Associations and NHS Health providers to support networks of Master Gardeners and volunteers. ^W
• Protect your plots, information from the the National Allotment Society
• Tips for swap and share stalls, Rock Abundance
• Wittenham Hill Cider Portal
• Saving allotments with the community rights, Locality
• Allotments Law & Community Growing, farmgarden.org.uk

Food security[edit | edit source]

FoodCycle is a UK charity that rescues surplus food that would otherwise be wasted and uses these ingredients to create healthy three-course meals for vulnerable people in the community, people at risk of food poverty and social isolation. The organization is headquartered in London and has operations throughout the United Kingdom ^W

• FoodCycle, Map of project locations, foodcycle.org.uk, links checked 13:57, 12 November 2021 (UTC)

Child food poverty[edit | edit source]

• End Child Food Poverty

Community allotment[edit | edit source]

see for example About Southend in Transition community alloment

Community farms[edit | edit source]

• cofarm.co, added 16:03, 26 August 2020 (UTC)

Community Food enterprises[edit | edit source]

Growing for change: creating good livelihoods for a better food system, A guide for community food enterprises sharedassets.org.uk

Education[edit | edit source]

• Food for Life

Local food[edit | edit source]

• Resources from Making Local Food Work, a BIG Lottery project which ended in 2013

Personal options[edit | edit source]

How to Farm Regeneratively at Home, Feb 23, 2021, loddingtonfarm.co.uk

News and comment[edit | edit source]

See separate article: Food UK news

Events[edit | edit source]

2019

2015

August 10 - 16 National Allotments Week
nsalg.org.uk

June 7 The Big Lunch
thebiglunch.com

March 21 The Big Dig
bigdig.org.uk

Sustain's website includes an online Food Calendar

Campaigns[edit | edit source]

• End Child Food Poverty
• GM Freeze
• People's Food Policy, People's Food Policy on foodsovereigntynow.org.uk
• Refill - "...national, practical tap water campaign that aims to make refilling your bottle as easy, convenient and cheap as possible by introducing refill points on every street."

See also[edit | edit source]

• Food London
• Food UK news
• Food activism
• Food news
• A People's Food Policy, a series of (UK) articles
• 10 Steps Toward an Incredible Edible Town
• Young and beginning farmers
• Sustainable livelihood UK#Video
• Towards sustainable economies UK
• Commons UK

local information can be found, or shared, via our many UK location pages

External links[edit | edit source]

• Refugee Community Kitchen, serves hot, nourishing meals to displaced people in the UK and France, added 16:22, 13 April 2021 (UTC)
• Veg School Meals UK, Towards a self-sufficient school for every child, added 10:28, 10 April 2021 (UTC)
• Food bank ^W, Food waste in the United Kingdom ^W
• Food Citizenship, added 19:11, 17 May 2020 (UTC)
• Cooperation Town, new (Jan 2020) project set to establish a series of food co-ops on housing estates and community centres across Britain.
• Abundance Network, a group of volunteers passing on information and support between some of the fruit harvesting groups across the UK
• The Climate-Friendly Gardener
• FareShare, fighting hunger, tackling food waste.

FareShare is an award-winning charity aimed at relieving food poverty and reducing food waste in the UK. It does this by rescuing good quality surplus food that would otherwise have gone to waste and sending it to over 700 charity and community projects across the United Kingdom.

FareShare only redistributes food inside its best before and use by date; in 2012 they rescued 3,600 tonnes of food which would have otherwise gone to landfill. FareShare works with all sectors of the supply chain; producers, manufacturers and retailers. All of the major UK food retailers have encouraged their suppliers to work with FareShare to minimise food waste. FareShare has also run two successful food drives with both Sainsbury's and Tesco.

FareShare contributed towards more than 8.6 million meals in 2012, which equates to feeding 36,500 people a day. This food is delivered to a broad range of grass root organizations all across the UK including homeless shelters, day centres, women's refuge centres and children's breakfast clubs. ^W

• The Food Assembly's Blog, The Food Assembly on Social Tech Guide
• Food For All, "...registered charity based in London (also in other parts of the UK), which distributes over 1,000, spiritually enriched nutritionally balanced vegetarian meals, to different groups of people, including the homeless, disadvantaged, financially challenged and the 'needy' on a daily basis, for free!"
• Gleaning Network UK
• Helping Britain Blossom, information about community orchards
• Pesticide Action Network UK
• Reclaim the Fields
• Soil Association, charity based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1946, it has over 27,000 members today. Its activities include campaign work on issues including opposition to intensive farming, support for local purchasing and public education on nutrition; as well the certification of organic food. It developed the world's first organic certification system in 1967 – standards which have since widened to encompass agriculture, aquaculture, ethical trade, food processing, forestry, health & beauty, horticulture and textiles. Today it certifies over 80% of organic produce in the UK. ^W
• Sustain, the alliance for better food and farming
• The Orchard Project, added 16:42, 24 May 2021 (UTC)

Food growing

• Community supported agriculture
• Social Farms and Gardens, UK wide charity supporting communities to farm, garden and grow together.
• National Allotment Society

Food insecurity

• Food Foundation, charity working to influence food policy and business practice, shaping a sustainable food system which makes healthy diets affordable and accessible for all. "We work in partnership with researchers, campaigners, community bodies, industry, investors, government, and citizens to galvanize the UK's diverse agents of change, using surprising and inventive ideas to drive fundamental shifts in our food system. These efforts are based on the continual re-evaluation of opportunities for action, building and synthesizing strong evidence, convening powerful coalitions, harnessing citizens' voices, and delivering impactful communications."^[3]

Local food

• f3, local food consultants
• Local Food Initiative

Seeds

• Seed Co-operative, the UK's community owned seed company