Quarter of UK councils depend on food partnerships to deliver on food security and public health

Representatives of over 120 food partnerships gathered in Westminster this week for the Sustainable Food Places (SFP) Day of Action 2025, as they urged MPs to recognise local food partnerships as essential national infrastructure for delivering health, climate and economic priorities. 

There are now 123 local authorities working with SFP food partnerships across the UK, a number that has significantly increased since the COVID-19 pandemic. As climate change and shocks to global supply chains make the production and supply of food more vulnerable, food partnerships are helping to build a more resilient food system here in the UK.

Food Partnerships – linked up through the UK-wide SFP network – bring together councils, farmers, food businesses, charities and community activists to transform their local food systems. They connect sustainable food producers to public sector contracts, boosting local supply chains and developing local jobs.  

Food partnerships have been key in food delivery and emergency planning. During the COVID-19 pandemic, areas with established food partnerships such as Birmingham, Glasgow, Greenwich, Leeds and Sheffield responded faster and more effectively to food emergencies, aligning council and voluntary sector efforts and reaching vulnerable people with dignity and efficiency.

Local authorities with well-established food partnerships also help the government make progress on its commitment on 50% sustainable food in public procurement, with SFP network members such as Brighton & Hove, Bristol, Bury, Cardiff, London Borough of Ealing, Somerset and Vale of Glamorgan securing robust food procurement policies that prioritise sustainable, ethical and locally-produced food purchased with public funding. 

Despite their proven success, many partnerships face barriers caused by fragmented national policy and inconsistent funding. Unlike Scotland’s Good Food Nation Act and Wales’ Community Food Strategy, England and Northern Ireland lack an official framework to support joined-up food systems work. The SFP network is calling for a Good Food Bill in every nation to fully cement the role of food partnerships in delivering on UK food security.

Leon Ballin, Sustainable Food Places Programme Manager, said: 

“Getting food right is key to solving some of our biggest national challenges – from NHS pressures and the cost-of-living crisis to economic resilience and the climate emergency. Food Partnerships have proven that when communities are supported to act, they can deliver lasting solutions. 

The government now has an opportunity through the UK Food Strategy to scale this success: to recognise food partnerships as critical national infrastructure, ensure every local authority has one, and embed a Good Food Bill in every nation to guarantee secure, healthy and sustainable food for all.” 

Olivia Blake, MP for Sheffield Hallam and sponsor of the SFP Day of Celebration and Action event, said: 

“Food Partnerships are transforming how we think about food — they make policy tangible, showing how a healthy society, climate and nature solutions, and economic renewal can be delivered together. I am proud to support Sheffield Food Partnership and network of food projects and enterprises ensuring our residents can enjoy nourishing, environmentally-friendly food and feel connected to their communities. Every city, town and village should have the same support and resources to do this work.” 

The SFP network is therefore calling for the UK Government to: 

1. Recognise and mandate food partnerships in every local authority, embedding food system strategies within health and climate planning. 

2. Strengthen national food security by integrating food into emergency planning and developing a horticulture strategy to boost home-grown fruit, veg and legume production. 

3. Tackle the cost-of-living crisis through statutory food poverty action plans and auto-enrolment for Healthy Start and Free School Meals in England.