Nationally more than 1.3 million people over the age of 65 are malnourished. There is no one solution to reducing malnutrition among older people. Valuable activities include meals on wheels, lunch clubs or other forms of shared meals, improving care and hospital provision, and influencing people’s eating habits.

Meals on wheels can provide a lifeline to people struggling to feed themselves in their own homes. Examples from around the UK and internationally demonstrate how the value of the meals can be extended well beyond the meal itself. In particular, there is an opportunity to use food provision to link isolated adults to other services and avert escalating health and social care costs through early intervention.

During the Covid-19 outbreak, meals delivery to older people is a vital part of maintaining people's access to nutritious food and their wider wellbeing. There are a miriad of opportunities to deliver meals successfully during the crisis.

Examples of meals on wheels services emerging during the Covid-19 outbreak

Many established meals on wheels services are expanding their reach during Covid-19. There are also a wide range of services which have emerged during the pandemic, involving a many different organisations from the public, private and community sector. We couldn't possibly list all of these; below we list a range of exemplary projects.

Other examples and resources

Advice on improving nutrition among older people

Research and statistics


Food Poverty: Millions of people in the UK struggle to get enough to eat. We’re working to change that through people-powered projects and campaigns that tackle the root causes of food poverty and ensure everyone has dignified access to healthy, affordable food.

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