Information for local authorities and policy makers
Local authorities that we work with have expressed the need to better understand how local organisations across the UK (called community food assets) can promote food fair communities and reduce the number of people who need emergency food. They also would like to know what it is specifically that CFAs do to help people who are food insecure.
What we will do
We will listen to community food asset users and people working in voluntary organisations and local authorities to understand how different organisations work together and the role they play in peoples’ lives. We will also look at how easy food assets are to approach and whether they support everyone in need.
Our researchers will also spend time within community food assets to understand how they work and will meet users, volunteers and staff. They will also spend time with families who use the assets to understand their lives and the role community food assets play. We will also try to understand what are the barriers that prevent people in need to use the services provided by CFAs.
All of the above will help us understand which food asset approaches are most effective (how and in what ways) and how accessible and inclusive they are.
Throughout the project, we will consider how our findings are able to make the biggest difference and share our results to support changes in policy and practice.
How our research will help local authortities:
Actionable Toolkit
We will produce an ‘Actionable Toolkit’ written for local authorities explaining different Community food asset components and guidance on what works for whom, when and where. We will work in collaboration with our partners and our Public Involvement Panel to determine the format and approach of the toolkit.
Policy Briefs
We will produce policy briefs that will be shared with local authorities explaining the findings of the research and detailing what more needs to be done.
