What I learned from attending the Lincolnshire Food Summit 2023

On Thursday 23^rd November 2023 I was invited to attend the Lincolnshire Food Summit at the New Life Centre, Sleaford.

The summit was organised by the Greater Lincolnshire Food Partnership, Acts Trust, Sleaford New Life and the Lincolnshire Co-op, and was attended by around 80 representatives from local foodbanks, community groceries and community cafes from across the county.

The over-arching theme of the summit was to provide an opportunity for organisations to network to discuss challenges in addressing food poverty and insecurity in Lincolnshire and to suggest possible solutions to those challenges.

Poverty in Lincoln

Poverty rates in some areas of Lincolnshire are high: at least 50,000 people live in areas of the county which are recognised as being amongst the top 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in England.

My neighbourhood in Birchwood, Lincoln is one of those areas.

I myself have experienced food insecurity in my early years, which is why I am passionate about supporting organisations trying to help people struggling in 2023.

Challenges faced by food organisations

The challenges facing food organisations in Lincolnshire who are trying to help people experiencing food poverty are numerous.

The cost-of-living crisis and changes to food industry working practices are having an impact on the ability of foodbanks, community groceries and community cafes to access sustainable food supplies.

Many Lincolnshire Food Summit speakers and attendees mentioned that food donations had fallen whilst need for services had grown; Rod Munro from the Sleaford Community Larder noted that “donations were down 40% year-on-year”.

Some organisations are finding it more difficult to access surplus food supplies from supermarkets and in order to keep costs low, they have to turn to buying cheaper products in order to keep up with rising need, which may not always be the healthiest options available.

Alternatives to “surplus” food

Following discussions at the Summit there emerged a desire for the creation of an Independent Co-ordinator role to help negotiate with food companies and farmers to secure healthier, nutritious food at an affordable price.

Foodbanks, community groceries and community cafes can also access affordable healthy food supplies through joining Organic North or other independent networks.

Community growing in Lincolnshire

It was heartening to hear about numerous community growing projects happening across Lincolnshire!

The Boston Market Garden CIC works with local schools in the Boston area to provide opportunities for students to learn about growing techniques – and even beekeeping – with the produce then used to create healthy, nutritious meals.

Access to outside learning opportunities enriches the curriculum and fosters the development of healthy eating habits. Facilitating the setting up of more community growing projects will help to provide greater access to healthy, nutritious food for all.

Mental health matters!

One of the most thought-provoking discussions of the day centred around ensuring that everyone who accesses foodbanks, community groceries and community cafes are treated with compassion, dignity and respect.

Kev Smith, Assistant Manager of the Community Grocery Lincoln, talked about the need to ensure that staff and volunteers receive sufficient training to support service users, including, where possible, autism awareness and mental health awareness.

Involving people who use foodbanks, community groceries and community cafes in decision making is also vital in ensuring services delivered are done so with respect to the needs and wishes of service users.

Ideas for this include hosting regular focus groups through to creating surveys and putting out suggestion boxes in community spaces.

I also learned from attending the Food Summit that providing access to mental health and emotional wellbeing support often goes alongside providing meals.

Research conducted by FareShare has found that 2 in 3 people who accessed an organisation which is part of the FareShare network felt less lonely and 3 in 4 felt better about their overall wellbeing.

Creating a safe space for someone experiencing poverty to talk about how they are feeling helps to reduce feelings of anxiety and loneliness.

Nobody should be suffering in silence. Nobody should be worried about asking for support.

Long term strategy

Whilst rates of poverty remain high, local politicians, including district councillors and MPs, should be using their platform to call on the UK Government to develop a long-term strategy to address poverty.

Such a strategy should be drawn-up with the direct involvement of representatives from foodbanks, community groceries and community cafes who are providing a key frontline service in their communities and include the Right to Food being enshrined into law.

It is my firm belief that everyone should have the right to access healthy, nutritious food, regardless of their social background.

Ultimately we need to see less talk from our politicians and more positive action. By rebalancing our food system to be more sustainable, we can work towards a brighter future.

So, how can you get involved?

• Donate food to your local foodbank, community grocery or larder: access the Food Map for further info:
• Become a member of your local community grocery
• Visit your local community café and enjoy a delicious meal
• Find out more about community growing projects in your area