New food poverty campaign launched

• The number of times people were given three days of emergency food in the capital rose over 100,000 between April 2014 and March 2015, including over 40,000 to children.

• New initiative launched by London Food Link and funded by Trust for London to target how local authorities can help reduce food poverty beyond the foodbank.

Campaign group London Food Link today launches its London Food Poverty Campaign, calling for local authorities to adopt a range of measures that can reduce long-term food poverty beyond the foodbank.  The campaign is in response to the rising numbers of Londoners receiving emergency food packages, with shockingly 40,000 of these going to children. But those using foodbanks are just the tip of the iceberg, with many more struggling to feed their families and unable or unwilling to go to foodbanks.

Abi Ramanan, London Food Poverty Campaign coordinator said:

“Rather than focusing on institutionalising charity we believe in championing effective and affordable action to reduce food poverty such as adopting a living wage, improving healthy start voucher uptake, promoting breastfeeding, providing meals 365 days a year for children living in poverty, improving physical access to good food and preventing further cuts to community meals services. In the long-term, these measures will go a lot further towards ensuring everyone can afford and access nutritious food.”

A letter has been sent to all 33 London local authorities urging them to complete a detailed food poverty questionnaire, the responses from which will be used to produce a report showcasing a series of maps displaying uptake across these areas and best practice case studies.

Through the London Food Poverty Campaign, London Food Link aim to map good practice on food poverty and increase uptake of these initiatives across London’s boroughs. Over the past 5 years, London Food Link’s mapping approach utilised in the Good Food for London report has had a real impact with progress across the board from London’s local authorities, benefitting the lives of Londoners health, our environment and economy. The first London Food Poverty mapping report will be released in autumn this year.

The new London campaign echoes the national call from the Sustainable Food Cities network for people to sign a declaration to tackle food poverty beyond the food bank, launched on 24^th April.

ENDS

For press inquiries and images please contact Abi Ramanan, abi@sustainweb.org, 07943622869.

 

Notes to editors

1) London Food Link – Campaigning for a healthy, sustainable food system for the Capital. Through our London focused projects we strive for a food system that benefits all Londoners. London Food Link is part of Sustain: the alliance for better food and farming.
https://www.sustainweb.org/londonfoodlink/

2) London Food Poverty Campaign – The London Food Poverty Campaign will support local authorities in their efforts to address food poverty beyond the foodbank.

As part of a programme of workshops and activities focusing on key initiatives detailed below, the first annual report on food poverty in London will be published in autumn 2015. This report will provide a comprehensive picture of what London’s local authorities can do to reduce long-term food poverty, including:

• Improving the uptake of Healthy Start Vouchers
• Promoting breastfeeding via UNICEF UK’s Baby Friendly Initiative
• Taking significant steps to provide free meals 365 days a year for children living in poverty
• Becoming a London Living Wage employer
• Improving physical access to good food
• Providing good food to vulnerable older people through community catering services
• Providing crisis support

The London Food Poverty Campaign will provide support and advice during the information collecting process, and the report will be brought alive with case studies and positive examples to highlight best practice across London.

3) The Trussell Trust – The UK’s biggest foodbank network; between 1st April 2014 –31st March 2015, 1,084,604 people in crisis across the UK were provided with three days’ emergency food. During this period 104,799 people in crisis across London were provided with three days’ emergency food.

4) The Good Food for London report provides a league table of local authorities' support for key good food initiatives, such as community food growing, paying the London Living Wage, running the UNICEF UK Baby Friendly Initiative, high quality school food, helping local food outlets serve healthier food, involvement in a local food partnership and buying ethical food in schools and local authority canteens - including Fairtrade products, cage-free eggs and sustainable fish. The report illustrates London-wide progress across a range of good food initiatives.

Of the measures for which straightforward progress can be represented over the 4 editions of the report (other measures are new or their criteria have been significantly updated):

• Community food growing: 2011, 19/33 signed up to Capital Growth. 2014, 26/33 supporting the work of Capital Growth or recognise community food growing within council planning policy.
• Food for Life in schools: 2011, 17/33 had achieved at least Bronze Catering Mark, 0 had achieved Gold. 2014, 20/33 had at least Bronze Catering Mark, 5 now Gold.
• Animal welfare: 2011, 9/33 had achieved Good Egg Award. 2014, 16/33, with Islington having achieved the Good Chicken Award.
• Healthier catering: 2011, 19/33 were running the Healthier Catering Commitment. 2014, 22/33, with further 7 exploring implementation of the programme for 2014/15.

5) The Sustainable Food Cities network is an alliance of public, private and third sector organisations using food as a vehicle for positive change. Through their Beyond the Food Bank campaign, they will champion strategies that address the root causes of food poverty, reverse demand for emergency food assistance, provide a publicly-funded safety net for the most vulnerable and ensure that low-income households can afford and access good food. See the Sustainable Food Cities food poverty declaration here: http://www.sustainablefoodcities.org/campaigns/2015beyondthefoodbank/takeaction

6) Trust for London is the largest independent charitable foundation funding work which tackles poverty and inequality in the capital. Each year we provide around £7 million in grants and at any one point area supporting some 400 voluntary and community organisations.
www.trustforlondon.org.uk