Lewisham launch new Food Justice Action Plan

Food justice, the notion of a food system that is fair for all, has been recognised as a key issue in Lewisham. Rising numbers of residents are experiencing food insecurity, and emergency food aid providers are facing growing waiting lists and struggling to meet the local need. The Food Justice Action Plan highlights that certain groups are more likely to experience food injustice in Lewisham, including Black residents, people with low incomes, disabled and older adults and households with children, therefore targeted efforts are needed to tackle the inequalities in access to food.

The plan recognises that during the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, emergency support is needed, but also focusses on longer-term strategic work to address the root causes of food poverty and reduce reliance on emergency food provision through collaborative, system-wide efforts. 

The co-produced vision for Lewisham is that: 

• All Lewisham residents can enjoy reliable and fair access to food that is sufficiently nutritious, sustainable, culturally appropriate and affordable. 
• All Lewisham residents have the knowledge, skills, resources and opportunity to grow, prepare, cook, eat and share food with their families and communities. 
• All Lewisham stakeholders support collective action to end chronic hunger, promote food resilience and reduce the need for emergency food aid. 
• All members of the Lewisham Food Justice Alliance and other key stakeholders have access to data to monitor the scale of the issue of food injustice and to determine whether the actions taken are having a positive impact on lived experience, health and wellbeing.

Implementation of the Food Justice Action Plan will be developed and delivered in partnership with local communities, acting across 4 key priority areas: 

1. Take preventative action to reduce the risk of Lewisham residents experiencing food injustice. 
2. Ensure babies, children and young people have access to nutritious, sustainable and culturally appropriate sources of food throughout the year. 
3. Co-ordinate resources, capacity and expertise to maximise the support available to those in crisis. 
4. Promote and develop “Money First” approaches, where appropriate, to crisis prevention and support.

The Food Justice Action Plan is currently facilitated by Lewisham Council’s Public Health team with wider support co-ordinated by Lewisham Local. Implementation will be overseen by a new Lewisham Food Justice Alliance, co-ordinated by a Food Justice Programme Manager, funded for the first year by Lewisham Council and employed by Lewisham Local. A broad group of stakeholders will be required to take action to complete the tasks identified within the plan.

Read the full Lewisham Food Justice Action Plan here.

This plan is part of the wider food system work taking place to promote Good Food in Lewisham – read the new Good Food for All Londoners report to find out more about the work of Lewisham and other councils in London to improve the food environment across the capital.