Last week, Michael Fitzsimmons – Feeding Liverpool’s Food Enterprise Coordinator – attended the 2026 Oxford Real Farming Conference to find out how progressive approaches to food and farming can help shape the food system of the future and inform the work we do at Feeding Liverpool. This blog highlights Michael’s take-aways from some of the sessions he attended and his reflections on the event as a whole.

Based in Oxford Town Hall and across several satellite venues, the conference – now in its 17th year – covers a broad range of discussion, from farm practices to food policy and justice. The opening plenary was an inspiring call to action from a selection of land workers; it was put to the gathering that change is possible and that it will come from the ground up.

I first attended a talk on how ethical wholesale businesses can bridge the gap between agroecological farms and the hospitality industry – building good values into the supply chain, educating chefs on the realities of farming, facilitating routes to market for producers and embedding good business practices. This ties into the work Feeding Liverpool have been developing with Kindling Farm and offered insight and inspiration into how we can support food producers within the city region, as well as the Liverpool Food Growers Network to meaningfully engage with food retail and hospitality SMEs in the city.

Sustain‘s Local Food Lead, Rachel Jones, later facilitated a workshop discussion around implementing findings from Sustain’s Local Food Growth Plan and Bridging The Gap reports, and FoodRise and Better Food Traders‘ Purpose Over Profit report. Lucy Antal also presented on the work of FoodRise and Alchemic Kitchen; it was heartening to see attendees’ positive response to the Queen of Greens service. Participants then had a chance to reflect upon presentations from Rachel, Lucy, Better Food Traders’ Lucy Kirby-Smith and Georgia Phillips from Soil Association, which all demonstrated how increasing the visibility of and access to high quality fresh produce had been identified as an important lever from improving health outcomes in communities.

Continuing on the theme of health, I next attended a panel discussion on how increased engagement with horticulture can have beneficial health outcomes for those who struggle to access fresh, nutritious produce. Jo Poulton, Co-Lead Grower at Sim’s Hill Shared Harvest in Bristol, spoke about how they offer opportunities for their members to get involved in volunteering on the farm; this helps to give members a chance to engage with food growing – connecting them with nature and improving their wellbeing. The Mazi Project – which is also located in Bristol – works with victims of domestic abuse, asylum seekers, care leavers and youths recovering from homelessness, creating and distributing meal kits and running cookery classes. Lily Farmer from The Mazi Project believes that increasing a community’s access to local produce is a key driver in creating a more sustainable, secure and equitable food future – a belief that has been echoed in Liverpool through the creation of a wealth of community food growing projects.

In the next session, I was given an insight into how Sussex Surplus, City Harvest and the Felix Project redistribute surplus from farm produce. Attendees were told that 3.3 million tonnes of produce goes to waste on UK farms each year and that these organisationsaim to make use of the surplus to tackle food insecurity. The panel discussed the mutual benefits of working closely with farmers to not only give people the opportunity to get onto farms and learn where their food comes from, but to also provide farmers with social engagement. There was a valid question made about whether this kind of surplus redistribution lets large businesses of the hook who, it was suggested, should be facing stricter regulations to prevent this much avoidable waste being created in the first place. Charlie Neal from the Felix project spoke about how they would like to see farmers receive government payments for donating surplus to food redistribution networks. Sussex Surplus, on the other hand, run a particularly interesting and potentially duplicable model of running volunteer gleaning days for community groups and companies. Gleaning is an age-old practice in which leftover crops are salvaged from farms after commercial harvest; in modern times, a large amount of produce may be left in fields as it does not conform to the strict specifications set by supermarkets. Sussex Surplus take the produce they glean and turn it into long-life products such as soups, provide a weekly, free community meal and raise funds through event catering. This is a great example of how innovative approaches to using farm surplus can create social value for communities.

The conference was an incredible boost to morale and offered plenty of inspiration for the work we are developing at Feeding Liverpool. Despite all the difficulties facing our communities, it was heartening to see so many working on the solutions to these issues and having real, positive effects.

At Feeding Liverpool, we are passionate about creating a city where everyone can eat good food. One of the most powerful ways we do that is through our partnership with Alchemic Kitchen who run the Queen of Greens – a mobile greengrocer that brings fresh fruits and vegetables directly into the heart of communities across Liverpool and Knowsley.

 

Why The Queen of Greens Matters

Across the city, many neighbourhoods are classed as food deserts, which are places where residents have limited access to affordable, nutritious produce. For families also juggling the cost of living, the challenge of eating well can often feel overwhelming. The Queen of Greens exists to change that.

By stopping at schools, community centres, health hubs and housing estates, the bus makes fresh produce accessible close to people’s homes and workplaces – without the cost and time of making longer journeys to the nearest shop. Customers also have the flexibility to pay for their shopping using cash, card, NHS Healthy Start cards or Alexandra Rose vouchers; this variation of payment options ensures that communities can access fresh produce regardless of their income or location, thereby reducing health disparities and improving nutrition.

Last year alone, tens of thousands of visits to the Queen of Greens helped people to eat more fruits and vegetables, try new healthy food and save money on their weekly shopping. According to the latest Queen of Greens Impact Report, if the bus had 100 customers:

• 95 would say they now eat more fresh fruits and vegetables
• 86 would say they have incorporated a greater variety of produce into their diet
• 86 would say shopping on the bus has enabled them to save money on groceries
• 76 would say visiting the bus has had a positive impact on their wellbeing
• 91 would say visiting the bus has had a positive impact on their physical health

These are real changes – not abstract statistics – that show how bringing good food closer to people can transform their everyday life.

 

Voices from the Community

In the last year, Feeding Liverpool worked with photographer and videographer Rob Battersby to create a series of short videos featuring various people involved in the initiative and that aimed to increase awareness of what the Queen of Greens is and highlight how it supports communities across the city.

The difference the service makes shines through in people’s words, as evident in one video where a family praised the produce available on the bus and the service the team provides:

The Queen of Greens has meant my family can try new foods that we would not normally eat. I like the fact that we now have access to fresh fruit and veg that is affordable. The bus is a great way to bring the community together and everyone has a great relationship with Paul the greengrocer.

In another, a staff member at one of the centres visited by the Queen of Greens spoke of the difference the service makes to the families they work with:

The bus is fantastic in that it is a mobile fruit and vegetable shop, so [our] families do not have to think about where they have got to go. They come to the children’s centre and collect their vouchers; so not only are they getting their fruit and veg through the vouchers, but they also come and engage with what is on at the centre and the staff. So it is all really positive stuff.

These testimonies reflect not just the practical impact of access to fresh food – but the community connections and confidence it builds.

 

Becoming a Real Living Wage Employer – Valuing People as well as Communities

At Feeding Liverpool, we believe that tackling food insecurity goes hand in hand with creating fair, secure and dignified work. That is why we are proud to be a Real Living Wage employer – and why we are equally proud that the Queen of Greens has recently become a Real Living Wage employer too.

This commitment means that the people who keep the Queen of Greens on the road – building relationships with communities, setting up at stops and ensuring that food reaches those who need it most – are paid a wage that reflects that real cost of living. It recognises that meaningful, impactful work should never come at the expense of financial security.

For Queen of Greens staff, becoming a Real Living Wage employer is about more than pay. It is about feeling valued, supported and able to focus fully on delivering a service that makes a real difference. For the communities the bus serves, it makes a consistent, motivated team who are embedded in neighbourhoods and able to build trust over time.

This sentiment has been echoed by greengrocer Paul Flannery, who explained what it is about the job that he enjoys so much:

You get a lot of people who know about the bus, looking forward to coming and, when they are here, meet other people who are in the same situation as themselves. Eventually, they will say: ‘What is that?’ I will say: ‘It’s a butternut squash and this is how you can cook it.’ They will come back to the bus the following week and say: ‘That was lovely.’ Then perhaps some more people will get on the bus that don’t know each other and they will say: ‘I had that last week. If I was you, I would cook it this way.’ The service is all about people getting to know each other and helping them to eat healthily. That is what I am passionate about.

By committing to the Real Living Wage across Feeding Liverpool and the Queen of Greens, the belief that a fair food system must also be a fair work system is being reinforced – one that supports both the people accessing services and those delivering them.

 

A Role that makes a Real Difference

As the Queen of Greens continues to grow and evolve, strong leadership and coordination are essential. That is why Alchemic Kitchen is currently recruiting a Project Manager to join the initiative’s team and help shape the future of the service.

The role is an opportunity to:

• Lead and develop impactful community food projects
• Support and empower staff delivering frontline services
• Build partnerships that strengthen local food systems
• Ensure that the Queen of Greens service continues to reach the people who need it most

The Project Manager will not just be managing the project – they will be helping to create long-term change. They will work within an organisation that is committed to fairness, community voice and the Real Living Wage, and they will see first-hand the difference their work makes in people’s lives.

 

Join the Team

If you are passionate about food justice, community development and creating systems that work for everyone, the Queen of Greens would love to hear from you.

In Project Manager Lucy Antal’s own words:

We are a socially minded enterprise that is looking to support people in our region with access to fresh fruits and vegetables. By joining our team of staff and partner organisations, you will help us to keep making a difference.

By joining Alchemic Kitchen as a Project Manager, you can play a key role in ensuring the Queen of Greens continues to thrive – bringing good food, dignity and opportunity to communities across Liverpool.

To request a full job description and get more information about the vacancy, please email Lucy Antal.

To apply, you will be asked to send a (maximum two pages A4) cover letter detailing why you consider yourself suitable for the post and fill out a short application form.

Apply now and be part of building a city where everyone can eat good food. 

 

Learn more: 

• Learn more about Alchemic Kitchen.
• Read more about the Queen of Greens.
• Find out more about the Real Living Wage, including how to become an accredited employer.
• Read more about Feeding Liverpool and our work to promote good food for all.

This blog has been written by Georgia Mitchell – a third-year Psychology student at the University of Liverpool.

Georgia has recently worked as a Research Assistant on a project that explores how local authorities – including Liverpool – have utilised the Household Support Fund to create better access to good food for residents.

Through this work, Georgia visited community food spaces across the city to better understand how they operate and the difference they make – not just in providing food, but in building connections and supporting wellbeing.

 

What is a Community Food Space?

Community food spaces include foodbanks, pantries, community cafes and gardens, and are places where people can come together around good food. Usually led by local residents and organisations, they typically offer more than just food; they help to create opportunities for social connection, reduce food waste by using surpus food and connect people to appropiate wider support.

 

Food:

Community food spaces make good food more accessible. While foodbanks offer free food parcels, pantries offer affordable shopping through low-cost membership and community cafes provide hot meals, places such as growing projects support the planting and eating of local, seasonal produce.

 

Social and Community Connections:

While most people are initially brought to these spaces due to reasons related with food, they also represent much more; they offer a a welcoming, non-judgemental environment where people from different backgrounds can meet others, share stories and feel part of a community – helping to reduce both loneliness and stigma.

 

Wellbeing:

Community food spaces support physical and mental health by promoting healthy eating and providing a space for meaningful social interaction. They can be a particular lifeline for those who feel isolated; a simple conversation over lunch could potentially lead to friendships or volunteer roles that allow for purpose and connection.

 

Empowerment:

Community food spaces give communities a voice in shaping a more fair local food system. As people attending these spaces are encouraged to share their personal experiences, staff can provide support that is tailored to their real needs as opposed to a one-size-fits-all approach.

 

Signposting to Wider Support:

Many community food spaces are part of a wider network, which allows for people who attend them to be connected to futher support – mental health services, debt advisors, housing assistance – should they require it. This wraparound support helps to tackle the root causes of food insecurity and reduce reliance on emergency provision.

 

Community Food Spaces in Norris Green, Liverpool:

Liverpool is the third most deprived local authority in England, with Norris Greens particularly facing significant challenges around food insecurity. Norris Green is considered a food desert; it has limited access to affordable, nutritious food and few transport options to reach supermarkets.

 

Places of Welcome Community Cafe at Triple C:

Evolving from its origins as a food pantry, this community cafe is based at Christ Church and runs every Thursday from 12noon to 2pm. Its goal is simple: to provide a hot meal whilst also promoting social inclusion and community cohesion.

From attending just one meal, I could see that the cafe was a supportive local hub where people of all ages could come together. The soundtrack to my afternoon visit was chatter, laughter and children running around. When I arrived at the venue, I was greeted with a warm welcome and made to feel as I truly belonged there. It was evident that many of the guests and volunteers both know and care for each other, which was made clear when they expressed genuine concern for a regular attendee who had not turned up that week.

Volunteers told me that, for them, their job was as much an opportunity for them to leave the house and give back to their community as it was for the guests. What struck me most was how welcome people were made to feel at the cafe – regardless of whether it was their first visit or if they had a reserved seat every week – and how they were encouraged to eat, chat and become a part of the community.

 

Ellergreen Community Pantry at Ellergreen Community Centre:

I visited Ellergreen Community Pantry which is open every Friday from 10am to 12noon on several occassions. Each time I was there, the pantry was well-stocked with fresh fruits, vegetables and various other food item essentials. The team running the pantry had recently introduced a ticketing system in order to help create a calm atmosphere – allowing people to relax and chat while waiting for their turn to shop.

Volunteers explained to me that the system was designed to reduce anxiety for first-time visitors and that they were always on hand to answer questions. The dignified nature of the space struck me; baskets were provided to help mirror a regular shopping experience and volunteers only offered food that they would eat themselves. Conversations flowed easily, creating moments of connection rather than transaction.

It was clear that the pantry is more than just food; it is about respect, community and making people feel valued.

 

Summary:

Visiting Triple C and Ellergreen Community Centre showed me that community food spaces are about so much more than food; they create places of dignity, respect and belonging, helping neighbours to connect, reduce isolation and build resilience. At their heart is a shared commitment to good food and strong community – values that make a real difference in everyday life.

At a time when the future of many community food spaces is uncertain, they must be sufficently resourced so that they can continue operating as places where people can meet and connect over good food.

This week (10th – 16th November) is Living Wage Week – an annual celebration and recognition of the importance of a real Living Wage.

At Feeding Liverpool, we are proud to be a Living Wage employer.

As the city’s food alliance, much of our work focuses on tackling the root causes of poverty and hunger, and we continue to work with people and organisations to improve access to fresh, affordable and culturally-appropiate food. We believe that Liverpool can, and should, be a city where good food is a right – not a privilege.

 

Why The Living Wage Matters

As an organisation, we believe that work is about value, respect and security, and that the wage we receive for our work should reflect this.

The issue of in-work poverty is a serious and concerning one. Across Liverpool and the UK, many people in work are still struggling to afford the essentials: rent, heating and good food. For too many, paid work does not pay.

We know that in-work poverty has far-reaching consequences. Through our partnerships and projects, we have seen first-hand how the pressures of low income can affect people’s health, wellbeing and dignity. We believe that every person in work should be able to afford a decent and dignified standard of living, including putting good food on the table. We also believe that every person in work should feel valued, respected and secure in their employment.

Becoming a Living Wage Employer reflects our commitment to these principles in our own organisation.

 

Connecting the Dots: Work, Welfare and Justice

Last year, we co-authored the report ‘Without Access to Justice: The Work and Welfare Problems Driving Food Insecurity’. This report explored how insecure jobs, zero-hour contracts, low pay and a broken welfare safety net are leaving too many people unable to make ends meet – and, too often, unable to afford food.

As written in the report:

The level at which minimum wages are currently set are below the level of a ‘Real Living Wage’. This means that the law, even when it is adhered to, is not providing a sufficent income for a decent life to people who are working full-time.

One of our key policy recommendations was for the government to revise the minimum wage to ensure that no one works for less than the Real Living Wage. We believe this is essential to tackling the root causes of food insecurity and creating a fairer society.

 

SuSu’s New Orleans Kitchen

Last week, we made a visit to SuSu’s New Orleans Kitchen, which was opened in Molly Malone’s Irish Pub on Victoria Street by friends Reggie and Adam in June 2025. As an accredited Living Wage employer, Head Chef Adam Williams talked to us about their commitment to taking care of staff and supporting the wider community.

For SuSu’s, paying a living wage is a simple decision, fitting in with their values and vision:

By continously celebrating the flavours of Louisians and nuturing relationships with our employees and customers, we aim to cultivate a space where everyone feels at home and valued.

SuSu’s have shown a commitment to working with local suppliers, contributing further to our local food economy. Bexley’s Craft Butchers provide the smoked Cajun sausage, which is prepared to SuSu’s authentic recipe and is a key ingredient in their ‘Holy Trinity of dishes – Jambalaya, Gumbo and Red Beans & Rice. Wirral’s Born to Bake also provide the classic French bread for their Famous Shrimp Bread and Poboy sandwiches.

SuSu’s believes in embedding themselves in their local community; on the last Wednesday of each month, they provide a meal for the underserved in the area, recently cooked for 38 members of staff and residents at the Ann Fowler House. In their own words:

We aspire to inspire a culture where good food and good people come together, creating a ripple effect of kindness and positivity.

Paying a living wage means that staff feel valued and are, therefore, more likely to stay on long-term; this ensures that the time spent training and developing staff skills comes back to benefit the business. In this way, paying the living wage is a win-win for employees and employers alike.

Feeding Liverpool applaud the team at SuSu’s for their approach to working with people and the community. We are committed to supporting and celebrating local food businesses, and would love to connect with more across the city. If you would like to know how Feeding Liverpool can work with you, please get in touch with our Food Enterprise Coordinator.

 

A Call to Others 

We believe that a Living Wage can make a difference both in the home and in work, and we encourage those in our network and beyond to recognise that implementing a Living Wage has the power to effect real change.

Paying the real Living Wage is one way employers can show that they value their team, while also taking practical steps to ensure that people are able to afford a devent standard of living. It’s a direct expression of the belief that good work deserves fair pay, and that this fairness, in turn, strengthens both our workplaces and our communities.

As we celebrate Living Wage Week, we invite other organisations across Liverpool to join the movement, helping to build a city where everyone can thrive.

When everyone is paid enough to live well, we all benefit; our peope, our communities, our workplaces and our city.

 

Learn More

• Read the Without Access to Justice Report
• Find out more about the Real Living Wage, including how to become an accredited employer
• Read more about Feeding Liverpool and our work to promote good food for all

The government has announced a three-year extension to the Holiday Activities and Food Programme (HAF), which increases access to healthy food and enriching activities for low-income activities during the Easter, Summer and Christmas holidays.

The school holidays are a well-known pinch point for families – in particular, those in receipt of free school meals (FSM), who have to find the means to supplement their child’s school lunch at the same time as managing the rising costs of essentials like food, energy and water. This gap in provision impacts almost 2.2 million pupils, which represents 25.7% of all pupils according to 2024/4 statistics.

Initially piloted in 2018, the HAF Programme was launched nationwide in 2021 and is now delivered in every local authority in England. In Liverpool, our HAF Programme is coordinated by Merseyside Play Action Council and Liverpool City Council – supporting over 130 fantastic providers across the city. Last year, 13,500 children and young people benefitted from taking part in the programme, with over 240,000 meals being provided and over 99,000 activity places offered that they would otherwise not have access to.

A nationwide evaluation of the HAF Programme has highlighted its value in improving children’s and young people’s diets, and expanding their access to enriching physical activities – whilst simultaneously helping to ease financial pressures and enhance the wellbeing of parents and carers. At a local level, we have anecdotal evidence of how the Programme has benefitted our communities.

Pressure has been building over the last few months for the Government to confirm the future of the Programme, with the funding originally set to end in March 2026; this has included a petition coordinated by our colleagues at Feeding Britain and a survey conducted by researchers in the North East representing over 17,000 parents voices.

Today’s announcement confirms that HAF will continue beyond April next year, supported by a £600 million funding boost over a three-year period.

Beth Bradshaw, Policy Lead at Feeding Liverpool, has responded to the news: 

Families here in Liverpool, and right across the country, will breathe a sigh of relief today knowing that the HAF Programme is secure for another three years.

 

In our submission to the Health and Social Care Committee Inquiry on food and weight management, we asked government to urgently commit long-term funding and to extend support into the half-term holidays, so that children and families do not miss out at any point in the year.

 

Today’s announcement is really welcome news, and we want to thank all our partners and community voices who campaigned to make this happen.

BY Beth bradshaw, policy lead

Earlier this month, the Government outlined how it plans to serve up a Good Food Cycle in a bid to create a healthier, more sustainable food system.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has highlighted ten priority areas in a new policy paper which range from improving food environments, supporting healthier and more sustainable food, and ensuring everyone has access to affordable, healthy, convenient and appealing food options. Other priority areas identified in the paper include creating sustainable and resilient food supplies, supporting good growth within the food sector and promoting vibrant food cultures.

The publication of this framework forms a key step in the development of a much-needed national food strategy and it is promising to see that the Government recognises the importance of a joined-up food system that supports health, the local economy and the planet.

However, we are not starting from a blank canvas. The previous Government commissioned Henry Dimbleby to write an independent food strategy in 2019, which was subsequently published in 2021. The strategy included a set of bold and ambitious recommendations to the Government on how it could break the ‘junk food cycle’, tackle food insecurity and consider more sustainable food production and procurement. Unfortunately, there was little appetite at the time on any of the recommendations and the strategy was left to gather dust.

 

Shining a Light on Local Food Partnerships

Despite the lack of leadership at a national level, local areas have been working hard to mitigate some of the consequences of a broken food system – which has ultimately resulted in communities up and down the country facing several barriers in accessing good food. The lasting impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and the ongoing rising cost-of-living has only exacerbated these barriers further.

In 2021, Feeding Liverpool launched the Good Food Plan, which features five key goals that will help us work towards increasing access to good food for all in our city. This was created in response to growing concerns about the rise in food insecurity and the impact that the food people eat is having on the planet. One of the key actions that was established out of the Good Food Plan was for the city to become a Sustainable Food Place, which was achieved when Liverpool was awarded Bronze in 2023. This has supported Feeding Liverpool as an alliance in many ways; we have been given the opportunity to share learning and what works well with other food partnerships, and have been able to provide a framework for action which is being utilised by over 120 local places across the UK. Feeding Liverpool hopes to build on these successes by applying for Silver in 2026.

It is, therefore, of no surprise that as part of the Good Food Cycle framework the Government recognises not only the important role that food partnerships can play in supporting a joined-up food system, but also how they can help to influence at both a regional and national level. As there is a wealth of untapped knowledge within local food partnerships, it is crucial that they are partners of the design and delivery of the National Food Strategy.

 

Enabling Food Citizenship

Feeding Liverpool strongly welcomes any publications that aim to break down the barriers our communities face in accessing good food. It is key, however, that community voices are heard in these pieces.

One aspect of the proposals that Feeding Liverpool is particularly pleased to see is the inclusion of the Citizens Advisory Council; The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs will be working with a network of informed citizens who represent different backgrounds and regions of the UK, and who will help to shape the development of the strategy.

Enabling citizens to have their voice heard and shape their food environments is a key priority for the Good Food Plan, and will go a long way in ensuring that the Strategy is responsive to what is happening on the ground.

 

Connecting Communities to Food

Feeding Liverpool are also pleased to see that the Paper places an emphasis on vibrant food cultures and that one of the outlined priorities will ensure that people are more connected to their local food systems.

In Liverpool, Feeding Liverpool see this connection occur through engagement with our community food network partners, which is made up of 80 organisations across the city. Later this year, Feeding Liverpool will be supporting Engage Liverpool to deliver a series of events that will seek to explore our food culture at both local and national levels. Further to this, Feeding Liverpool will also be working alongside the city’s small to medium-sized enterprises in order to ground them within their local communities – aligning the needs of Liverpool’s residents with business operators and championing value-driven businesses that enhance the food culture in the city.

If the Strategy is to be truly person-centred, however, it has to work for people – and not just in what they eat or how they access it. It should also support value-driven supply chain work, which provides the opportunity for community wealth building.

 

The Good Food Cycle in Action

After a hiatus, this publication indicates that national leadership on improving the food system is back on the menu. As is always the case, the proof will be in the pudding and Feeding Liverpool are looking forward to finding out exactly how the Government plans to deliver the ten priority areas identified.

Feeding Liverpool’s recommendation would be to embrace and invest in local food partnerships that can connect at different local, regional and national levels; this would provide people with greater autonomy to shape their local food system and support the development of a national food strategy that is both asset-based and driven by the people it aims to serve.

At Feeding Liverpool, we will be able to use the Good Food Cycle Framework to hold the Government to account and will work with our local, regional and national partners to ensure these priority areas are kept high on the agenda; this will be achieved by re-establishing the Good Food Policy and Advocacy Group, which will be led by Feeding Liverpool’s new Policy Lead Beth Bradshaw. The upcoming Child Poverty Strategy in the autumn is a clear opportunity to provide further detail on how the Government plans to deliver on the priority areas that promise equal access to healthy, convenient, affordable and delicious food.

Bringing the Good Food Cycle to life will undoubtedly be able to support here in Liverpool, but will also help to meet the Government’s own core missions – particularly securing economic growth through a more vibrant, sustainable and equitable food sector.

What the Government is proposing is ambitious and bold, but wholly in proportion to the scale of the challenge facing our food system. Whilst Feeding Liverpool recognises that creating a Good Food Cycle will take time, communities here in Liverpool – as well as up and down the country – need the support now. Feeding Liverpool hope this Paper has set the wheels in motion.

 

How To Get Involved

There are many ways that people can get involved and stay up-to-date with Feeding Liverpool’s work.

• The Good Food Taskforce will be re-established in the autumn. Please email Keenan to find out more about the group.
• If you are interested in finding out more about the Good Food Policy and Advocacy Group, please email Beth.
• Subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on socials to keep up to date with our work here.

Feeding Liverpool is the city of Liverpool’s food alliance, connecting and supporting community food spaces across the city with the aim of ending food insecurity and ensuring that everyone has access to good food. We work with organisations which provide crisis and longer-term food support for residents in Liverpool. Many of the people using these spaces have a disability and are affected by low incomes. As a result, our network is concerned by many of the changes being proposed in the Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper.

In 2024, Feeding Liverpool and the University of Liverpool School of Law and Justice published the Without Access to Justice Report. Case studies from across Liverpool’s Community Food Spaces illustrated how poor wages and working conditions, an unsupportive welfare system and inadequate resources to legal protection have led to people requiring support from foodbanks and pantries. Meanwhile, food insecurity itself was shown to be a key driver of physical and mental ill-health.

Unfortunately, in the year since the Without Access to Justice Report was launched, little has changed. Research from Trussel (formerly Trussel Trust) that was published in March this year has shown that 43% of people claiming Universal Credit and disability benefits have skipped meals to keep up with other essential costs in the last three months.

Emergency and community food support organisations are already under immense strain; many feel that statutory services rely on charities and the third sector to provide a role which the state is not fulfilling. Further to this, any government action which increases the need for foodbanks goes directly against their manifesto pledge to reduce food insecurity. In this context, we would ask the government: what assessments have been made to ensure that a reduction in income for people accessing disability-related benefits will not push more people into food insecurity?

There are several points that are of particualr concern in the current proposals:

• Restructuring PIP to a purely out-of-work benefit means that individuals will be assessed based on the impact of their disability on their daily living, not on their capacity to work. This could have a particular impact on entitlements for disabled people with mental ill health who often can complete everyday tasks (with structured support). The current proposals will reduce the income of thousands of people who are receiving PIP.
• Whilst the merger of JSA and ESA into a single Unemployment Insurance will increase the amount of money that some people will receive, it may also impose further conditionality and time frames on others.
• Denying the Health Element top-up of Universal Credit to under 22s could exacerbate youth poverty, given that people under 25 already receive lower rates of Universal Credit than older adults.
• The top-up will also be reduced for new claimants – from £97 to £50 per week by 2026/2027 – with a total cut of more than £2,000 a year.

There are some welcome changes proposed in the Green Paper, including ending reassessments for disabled people in cases where they will never be able to work and introducing a ‘Right to Try’ to protect income and review status during transitional work phases. However, more detail is required as to how the £1 billion investment in employment, health and skills support will work.

The Without Access to Justice Report illustrates how the proliferation of low-paid, insecure work is, in of itself, a cause of stress and disability-related benefit claims. Many of the people who require community food support are currently in work themselves. Punitive sanctions, disciplinarian conditionality and pushing people into poor quality jobs will neither improve people’s health, nor their food security.

Anybody can be vulnerable to food insecurity. Therefore, a welfare system and public services that reflect this are needed to ensure that people’s basic needs are met at times of difficulty. Action is also needed to secure living-wage jobs, with a strong framework for employee rights. Feeding Liverpool would welcome any government action which increases people’s incomes and reduces the needs for foodbanks and community food spaces to help support squeezed household budgets.

Feeding Liverpool reiterate the recommendations outlines in the Without Access to Justice Report:

• Include people with experince of poverty in the design of all policy and procedure that affects them
• Stop requiring benefit claimants to take up jobs on zero-hour contracts
• End the use of sanctions
• Ensure that Universal Credit is generous enough to provide an adequate standard of living

The full report and list of recommendations can be found here.

Professor Lydia Hayes, University of Liverpool:

Restricting access to PIP is an attack on disabled workers. It will make it harder for the government to achieve its goal of getting more out-of-work disbaled people into work. Restricting access to PIP will leave disabled workers without in-work support, increase their need for foodbanks and damage their mental health. The government has committed to reduce the UK’s record levels of insecure work becase, as our research has shown, food insecurity, disability and insecure work are intimately connected. Reducing the security of workers who are already insecure due to low income risks making a bad situation even worse.

KIm Johnson, MP for Liverpool Riverside:

Three quarters of the people who claim Universal Credit and Disability have gone without essential items in the past six months. The £5 billion cut is likely to make that worse for them.

Kate Griffiths, All Saints Stoneycroft Foodbank:

We are going to have people starting to come to the foodbank who have had their mobility payments either stopped or reduced, we are going to end up with people turning up who have had to spend money on getting things adapted within the home or on keeping warm. These are all things that your disability payments would normally cover – so therefore they are not going to have money left over for food.

Dave Kelly, CEO of Daisy Inclusive UK:

Every couple of years, the government tries to claw back money from the most deprived, disabled and vulnerable in our community. In addition to poverty, hunger and loneliness, the extra worry of welfare cutbacks is like the sword of Damocles hanging over them, with the uncertainty of where the next hot meal will come from.

Kinship care occurs when a child or young person lives full-time with a relative or family friend as a result of not being able to live with their birth parents, which is the case for thousands of people. Kinship carers are important members of the community: many grandparents, relatives and family friends are dedicated to bringing up others’ children who may otherwise be in local authority care, providing them with a safe home and keeping the family together.

Kinship care is essential, as it provides children in this circumstance with a sense of continuity and stability. Indeed, by allowing children to stay in a familiar environment and maintain their cultural and familial connections, their emotional and psychological well-being remains supported. As such, kinship carers provide not only a home, but also the continuation of family traditions and support – all of which are essential for a child’s development.

Kinship Carers Liverpool – based at Ellergreen Children’s Centre in Norris Green – was initially established as a registered charity in 1996 and naturally developed into a Kinship Project after identifying that many families they worked with were in the process of taking on full-time care of their grandchildren. The project has since seen younger kin carers attend, who have taken on this role for reasons varying from bereavement, chaotic lifestyles, substance misuse to imprisonment.

Kinship Carers Liverpool wishes to support anyone who lives within a kinship household, offering a number of different services for families from all walks of life and at different stages of their journey. This support includes:

• Having experienced team members to speak to
• Help and advice in regard to concerns and issues relating to caring for a kin child
• Signposting to helpful and relevant services
• Free activity programmes
• Connections with other kinship families

In addition to direct support, Kinship Carers Liverpool actively engages in numerous campaigns, lobbies and research projects in order to ensure better support for kinship families. The families they work with have been key to this work, having been empowered to ensure their voices are heard and their lived experience is shared to bring about the change needed to meet their needs. Kinship Carers Liverpool are also an active member of the Kinship Care Alliance: this is a group of organisations that subscribe to a set of shared beliefs on the issue of family and friends care, and meet regularly to agree on strategies to promote their aims.

For the last six months, Feeding Liverpool has been working with Kinship Carers Liverpool to support between 30 and 40 kinship families each week by providing them with fresh fruit and vegetables.

This project began in December 2023, after the need for additional support for Kinship Carers was identified by Liverpool’s Healthy Start working group and the Good Food Taskforce; it forms part of Feeding Liverpool’s Healthy Boost Project, which seeks to improve access to good food for those who are at risk of food insecurity.

This report shares the difference Kinship Carers Liverpool’s project with Feeding Liverpool has made to the families who attend the centre – namely, with between 30 and 40 kinship families being provided with fresh fruit and vegetable bags each week – by drawing on case studies and information provided by those who benefit from this initiative and those who operate it.

You can read the Kinship Carers Report here.

Food insecurity is defined as ‘lacking regular access to enough safe and nutritious food for normal growth, development and an active and healthy life.’ In Liverpool, one in three adults are food insecure – worrying about how they will afford food, reducing both the quality and quantity of food they are eating and, in some cases, even skipping meals and going hungry. The cold weather – combined with the rising costs of food and energy – has made this winter particularly challenging.

For Liverpool’s older residents, this is a sobering reality. Around 1.7 million pensioners in the UK are living in poverty, with rates of deep poverty also steadily increasing and currently standing at 8% for this group. While financial difficulties are typically considered the main driver of food insecurity in younger age groups and amongst families, food insecurity in older people is much more complex.

Older people are dispropotionately affected by malnutrition, with an estimation of as many as 1 in 10 people over 65 at risk. Malnutrition can play a role in causing a variety of co-morbidities and loss of indepence in older people, contributing to a loss of energy, muscle strength and coordination which in turn can lead to falls, difficulty with shopping, cooking, eating and self-care. Medical, physical and social risk not only contribute to malnutrition but often intersect, creating a vicious cycle:

• Medical conditions and certain medications can lead to a loss of appetite, nausea, weight loss and difficulties in both making and eating food
• Social factors such as bereavement, social isolation, loneliness and attitudes towards nutrition and weight can affect am individual’s interest in food and their motivation to eat

These factors tend to have a cumulative effect and increase in presence as people age. Although the older generation adapt in order to mitigate these issues, all it takes is an accumulation of seemingly trivial everyday problems such as lack of seating or reduced public transportation to make people increasingly vulnerable to food insecurity.

It is in these circumstances that community food spaces can make a hge difference. Community food spaces are commonly led by local community members and organisations who have good food at the heart of their work, with many initiatives also connecting people who use their service to activities and support beyond food provision. They also play a large part in tackling local food waste by using surplus food that would otherwise have gone to landfill. Such organisations in Liverpool have been credited for being more than just a place where individuals can access affordable, nutritious food. Indeed, these spaces have been praised for building a strong community that provides both support and connection to those who are in need. With operations such as this exisiting all across the city, it is possible to assess them in order to gain an insight into the role they play in providing support to older people beyond just their food provision.

Feeding Liverpool have written a report that illustrates the multi-faceted nature of community food spaces and highlights their ability to help older adults in a variety of ways beyond just food provision. This is especially important when the complexities of food insecutiy among the elderly are considered; there are numerous transitions that occur later in a person’s life that demand forms of adjustment and adaptation in order to cope with the challenges these present. In order to mitigate these issues, older people can often find themselves dependent on multiple support systems – of which community food spaces can be one.

The report finds that community food spaces are welcoming organisations, run by members of the community for those in the area. While they work to address people’s immediate food needs, they also serve to build a more sustainable and healthy community for the long-term. Indeed, these spaces have the potential to tackle social isolation, allow people to learn new skills, enhance mental and physical wellbeing, and knit neighbourhoods together – particularly thorugh intergenerational relationships.

You can read the report here.

The Queen of Greens Bus is a mobile greengrocer that brings affordable fresh fruit and vegetables to 40 stops across Liverpool and Knowsley. Run by Feeding Liverpool and Alchemic Kitech, the initiative aims to boost access to healthy food and help tackle health inequalities by providing people with a better opportunity to shop for nutritious food closer to their home or workplace.

As the bus’s produce is collected from Liverpool’s wholesale market each morning, the greengrocers are able to offer competitive prices for the food items provided, also selling the produce loose in order to cut down on both waste and packaging. The bus also allows for multiple payment methods, taking into account the fact that a significant proportion of customers receive government Healthy Start Cards and/or Alexandra Rose Charity vouchers. A lot of customers at the primary schools, children centres and hospitals that the bus stops at have young children and appreciate that the bus allows them to buy items that would otherwise be too expensive to get and that also lasts longer than the produce available at the supermarket.

Aside from selling, greengrocer Paul also uses his 40 years of experience in the fruit and veg business to offer cooking tips and encourage customers to discover different food varieties, often opening up food on the bus for customers to sample. This feeds into the sense of community that the bus fosters: a lot of people who use the bus look forward to coming to their stop as it allows them to meet other people in the same situation as themselves, often sharing their cooking ideas and getting to know each other through a shared love of food.

With the aim of making healthy eating more available both physically and financially, we have created a Queen of Greens Recipe Book, which features 5 nutritious and delicious meal that can be cooked easily with the whole family from fruit and vegetables found on the bus.

The book includes recipes for Vegetarian Fajitas, Spinach and Sweet Potato Dhal, Slow Cooker Veg Lasagne and Italian Veggie Cottage Pie.

Click here to learn more about the Queen of Greens Bus and view its current timetable.

Follow the Queen of Greens on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Do you have a recipe that you would like to share with us? Email Antonia with details.