Sustain • Good Food Enterprises • Food Co-ops toolkit • Does your community need a food co-op?
Community audit
A community audit is a type of mapping that goes beyond food mapping and outlets to include local facilities and services.
What it includes
Shops schools, health clinics, recreation centres, community centres, cafe's, clubs and community leaders who might be likely to support food projects are mapped in a community audit. A community audit tends to include:
- Physical infrastructure such as community buildings and other facilities;
- Regular activities going on in the local area such as women's groups, cookery groups and sports clubs;
- People and organisations interested in economic regeneration and community health;
- Information about the local population
As with food mapping, to assess food access in the area, a community audit also checks the local availability and prices of fresh fruit and vegetables. Community leaders, such as chairs of local residents associations, and key figures in local public services are often also interviewed to build up a picture of local food access and whether a project is needed to overcome any identified problems.
The benefits
The details of a community audit should help you to identify people and facilities to support your food co-op. For instance, by identifying community centres in your area, you may find a suitable venue for your food co-op. By talking to local organisations, you may also find partners to help you connect with communities or attract funding. You may also identify groups running cookery sessions or food growing projects which can help the work of your food co-op.
To find more useful food co-op related information visit our homepage
Food Co-ops toolkit: The Food Co-ops Toolkit will give you all the information you need to set up your own food co-op.
