2024

Good Food Local
The London report

In our annual Overall and Beyond the Food Bank league tables and series of good food maps, we shine a light on each council's approach to food partnerships, household food insecurity and the wider food system.

What does the report cover?

This year, we updated the measures to align with Sustainable Food Places’ six key themes. As a result, we have several new sections, and the ‘food access for Black, Asian and minority ethnic people’ section has been expanded to encompass work on ethnic and cultural diversity across all six key themes.

Food governance and strategy - looks at council action on taking a joint-up approach to food through food partnerships, policy and strategies.

Food growing and other community food action - assesses council action to support more people to grow their own food, increase land available for growing, as well as build a local good food movement and platform community voices.

Healthy food for all: tackling food poverty - reviews council action to address food poverty looking ‘Beyond the Food Bank’, with a focus on tackling the root causes of poverty and increasing dignified access to good food.

Healthy food for all: healthier food environments - from schools, workplaces and communities to catering, high streets and advertising hoardings, our measures of a healthier food environment encompass areas that affect the lives and health of local communities.

Sustainable food economy - reviews how councils are joining up work on improving the local economy and regeneration, with the availability of affordable, healthy and sustainable food including any work undertaken under the Good Food Retail agenda.

Catering and procurement - assesses one of the key areas where councils can act to reduce food-related emissions, and promote climate and nature-friendly food while supporting local economies.

Food for the Planet – looks at commitments and actions taken on food to tackle the climate and nature emergency including signing up to the Every Mouthful Counts Toolkit.

How does the report help councils take action?

The report is a valuable resource to support councils and food partnerships to identify where to take action on critical food issues that affect the food system as a whole.

By illustrating clearly where councils are making progress, and areas that might need more capacity and resource, this report helps councils make the case to continue to take action on food.

It also includes case studies to share good practice and a league table to celebrate achievements and benchmark performance year on year to give a wider view of progress.

Survey approach

As in previous years, Sustain designed a survey to collect the information used and scored in this report, based on our decades of close work with councils on food issues. External partners and feedback from councils were used to shape criteria. All councils in London were invited to complete a survey and self-report on action taken and future plans. Where available, data from external sources has been included for councils that did not respond to our survey.

The scoring and maps show three levels of action based on survey responses: foundations, good practice and leadership. For some measures, we identified actions to indicate a council’s progress level; for some measures, it was the total number of actions taken that was used to determine the level.

The league tables provide an overview of council performance in each theme (indicated by colours), how they ranked comparatively (indicated by order and percentage score), with an indication of councils who achieved overall leadership.

Case studies

Celebrating the good work taking place across the capital is an important part of this report. We have worked with several councils to put together inspiring case studies to showcase the innovative work they are doing to help residents to access healthy, affordable and sustainable food.

All case studies

London in numbers

213,382 emergency food parcels were distributed by the Trussell Trust in London between April - September 2023.

25% of Londoners are living in poverty after housing costs.

London relies upon 'just-in-time' supply chains: there is only 72 hours' worth of food in the city.

11 London food partnerships are now members of the Sustainable Food Places network, as well as Greater London.

2.3 million tonnes of food is wasted across London’s food supply chain every year.

What's happening in your borough?

Get updates

Overall league table
Which councils are showing leadership on joined-up action?

Beyond the Food Bank league table
Which councils are leading the way in tackling food poverty?

Good food maps
Explore the Good Food Local London data in detail.

Recommendations for action

Food Governance and Strategy

Support the development of a food partnership and food strategy covering all key food issues. This should be developed in consultation with a wide range of stakeholders.

Food Growing and Other Community Food Action

Ensure there is a lead council officer for food growing, a clear route for residents to access public land, and support to set up community gardens and develop the skills to grow food.

Ensure good food is celebrated across the council’s communications channels and through a variety of publicly accessible events and projects, and support community food initiatives to develop and thrive.

Sustainable Food Economy

Put in place a Good Food Retail Plan to improve access to healthy, affordable food in the borough.

Catering and Procurement

Sign the London Food Purchasing Commitment to ensure that the food bought and sold across council services is healthy, climate-friendly, and never wasted.

Food for the Planet

Include timebound, specific and measurable targets on food in climate action plans, and assign capacity to act on these commitments.

Healthy Food for All: healthier food environments

Assign resource to develop a healthier food advertising policy for the borough.

Using planning strategies to manage new hot food takeaways.

Overall league table

Healthy Food for All: tackling food poverty

Strengthen and embed cash-first approaches to reducing poverty, including providing crisis support via cash payments and increasing income maximisation support.

Ensure the council contributes to evaluations of the primary school meals programme, to support improvement of delivery, ensure quality of food, and build good practice and learning.

Develop a target-driven action plan to increase uptake of Healthy Start cards and vitamins, including training for frontline staff and targeted outreach using postcode-specific uptake data.

Urgently review food provision for asylum seekers, particularly with regards to food safety standards and infant feeding, and bring together relevant council teams and local partners to improve food access.

Resource nutritious meal provision inside and outside of the home for older and disabled residents, and ensure strong referral pathways into services.

Support development of community food projects which go beyond emergency food provision linked up with wraparound support services.

Beyond the Food Bank league table

The results table is best viewed on larger devices.

This report is coordinated by the Good Food Local and London Food Poverty teams at Sustain, to celebrate and encourage action by councils on good food issues, spanning policy areas which sit under several council departments.

We are grateful to the GLA, Trust for London and Impact on Urban Health for providing the funding that makes this work possible.