Leicester

“Working towards the eradication of food poverty by improving access to affordable healthy food for all, whilst seeking to influence the underlying causes”

Affordable Food Clubs in this area include:

• Eyres Monsell Pantry
• Open Hands Social Supermarket 
• St Andrews Play Association Food Pantry
• Wesley Hall Pantry

How we work

The Feeding Britain pilot in Leicester is currently supported by public health within the local council. The chair is Liz Kendall MP. The pilot was set up to address food poverty as a key theme within Leicester’s Food Plan. The Food Plan Board oversees and drives a strategic approach to make Leicester and healthy and sustainable food city.

The Feeding Leicester pilot was set up to ensure that actions to end food poverty and improve the food system are joint led by the voluntary, public and private sectors. Nine organisations are involved in the pilot with representatives meeting bi-monthly.

What we’ve achieved

Key activities implemented over the past year include:

• Ensuring emergency food is available to those in most known need
• Support to food banks (volunteer training, improved access to surplus, sharing of knowledge, and coordination of provision)
• A progressive holiday food programme
• Healthy eating in schools program
• An approach to develop mapping and analysis of food aid provision

What’s next

In the coming year Leicester will develop their partnership, expand their network, and scale up their current projects. Further interventions and projects are planned around better protecting people from hunger and building food security such as food growing, community cafes and social supermarkets, and reducing fuel poverty.

In the news

Thousands of hungry Leicester kids rely on free meals over summer holidays, Leicestershire Live, 13 September 2018

• 3.67% of adults suffered from hunger
• 11.46% struggled to access food
• 12.10% worried about not having enough food

About this research:

The University of Sheffield have published statistics of UK adult food insecurity at Local Authority scale. You can view the map of measures of food insecurity here.

Hungry is defined as having skipped food for a whole day or more in the previous month or indicated they were hungry but not eaten because they could not afford or get access to food.

Struggle is defined as a positive response to at least one of the following:

• Sought help accessing food
• Skipped or shrank meal
• Gave a reason for not having enough food

Worry is defined as choosing very worried or fairly worried about getting food.