Food experiences of people seeking asylum in London: areas for local action
Sustain’s London Food Poverty Campaign worked with the Jesuit Refugee Service UK and Life Seekers Aid to explore food experiences of people seeking asylum in London and identify key areas for local action.
Our findings demonstrate that basic needs are not being met for people seeking asylum in London, resulting in food insecurity, poor physical and mental health, and malnutrition, particularly in children. People seeking asylum do not have access to sufficient money, kitchen facilities or food to meet their needs, are provided with food that does not meet food hygiene or nutritional standards, in some cases resulting in hospitalisation. Experiences of food were broadly experienced as degrading and dehumanising, especially for mothers unable to feed their children adequately.
Our recommendations highlight key areas of local action for councils, food partnerships, healthcare providers, contracted accommodation providers and other local actors, as well as national recommendations for the Home Office to address policies which are driving food insecurity and malnutrition.
Watch back our webinar that accompanied the launch of the report. We heard about the findings and recommendations in the report from the researchers, examples of local action being taken by Newham council, and why food is so important from someone with lived experience of the asylum system.
Food experiences of people seeking asylum in London: areas for local action
49pp - 2024 | 756Kb
Published Monday 11 March 2024
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.
