The Food Foundation Podcast

It's volunteer week at the Food Foundation, and chef, food writer and Bake Off winner, Chetna Makan introduces us to some of the voices from the frontline of food insecurity. The Food Foundation looks for solutions to the growing challenges facing the UK's food system, and presents them to government and private sector. But perhaps its most important contribution is its team of ambassadors, young people and adults with lived experience of many of the issues it campaigns about.  We meet the core bloggers on Breadline Voices, Dan White, Dominic Watters and Kathleen Kerridge and learn how the ambassador programme at the Food Foundation has helped them to develop their presenting skills and speak directly to the people who can change policy at the very top of the food chain.

 In this episode of Quick Bites, the Food Foundation's series of thoughts and snap analyses of news events, Vicky Sibson, director of First Steps Nutrition Trust tells us about the campaign for regulation on the cost of infant formula. First Steps is working with the Food Foundation to improve access to better food and nutrition from preconception to age five. Vicky explains why in the UK's formula feeding culture we need safe and appropriate access to formula, and to make sure that it is available to the most vulnerable in our society.Click here for the Kids Food Guarantee, and here for Food Foundation's Quick Bites webinars on our YouTube channel.

Elena Vacca, Youth Engagement Coordinator at the Food Foundation takes us to the first ever Children's Food Summit in Leeds on 16 May 2023. This in-person event from Sustain's Children's Food Campaign coalition brought together leading voices from the world of children’s food and the opportunity to shape future plans with other change-makers. Click here for more information on the work the Food Foundation does on children's right to food.

This week, guest presenter, Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall looks at how to make a case for policy change through the compelling stories of lived experience of poverty. Charities like the Food Foundation try to find solutions to the growing challenges facing the UK food system and present them to government and the private sector. But the work has to have impact. Marcus Rashford, Dame Emma Thompson and the young food ambassadors from the Food Foundation tell it how it is, while Dolly Theis of Dolitics argues that a policy merry go round makes any real and lasting change unlikely to be implemented.If you have lived experience of food insecurity and want to get involved in advocacy, do get in touch with the Food Foundation. Just click here to contact the Food Foundation team.Click here for more information on Tackling the Cost of Food Crisis presentation at Parliament and here for more on Sustain's Healthy Start campaign.

Sofia Parente, head of Local Action at Sustain, looks at how campaigns can affect Government policy.She tells us about  an open letter to Government from a coalition of charities and NGOs, including The Food Foundation,about Healthy Start which led to an update in Government policy. Click for more information on Veg Cities and The Food Foundation’s campaign for better access to Healthy Start. 

Shona Goudie, policy and advocacy officer at The Food Foundation tells us about an event at The Churchill Room in The House of Commons this week which brings new stories from the front line of food poverty.Co-hosted by Which? and chaired by Radio 4 Food Programme presenter Sheila Dillon, the audience heard new findings on the availability of budget range options to support a healthy diet across different stores and how supermarkets can help. The Food Foundation talked about its new Kids Food Guarantee with some of its Food Ambassadors telling MPs how the cost of living crisis is impacting people’s lives Here, Shona tells us about the launch of 'They Know We're Here, But They Don't See Us', a new short film by The Food Foundation at the event which explores parents’ experiences of feeding their families during the cost of living crisis. She talks about its impact on an audience of NGOs, supermarkets and MPs, and the Food Foundation's suggestions of how to change the food story in Britain.

Alice English, project manager at The Food Foundation is just back from the Houses of Parliament where she and the team have been asking growers, NGOs and MPs how we can boost fruit and vegetable production and consumption in the UK.As the Government develops its new Horticulture Strategy for England, The Food Foundation and SHEFs global research consortium have been analysing what mix of policies might support greater consumption and production of fruit and vegetables. Alice reflects on how the event went, what she took away and where we go from here.Click here for the link to the Food Foundation briefings Alice mentions, and here for episode 10 of The Food Foundation podcast on why we urgently need a horticultural strategy.

Dr Annie Connolly, Research and Engagement Lead at the Food Foundation, introduces us to Fix our Food, a project aiming to transform the food system in Yorkshire. As part of its work, a ground-breaking research and transformational programme, being led by the Food Foundation's Young Food Ambassadors, is currently investigating access to healthy and sustainable options for children who receive Free School Meals.

This week, we're celebrating five years of the Soft Drinks Industry Levy, better known as the Sugar Tax.Introduced on April 6th 2018, the tax on the production and import of soft drinks that contain added sugar has been a win:win for industry and consumers, and the result of years of campaigning from stakeholders across the sector and support from MPs from the political spectrum.Dr Rupy Aujla, author and host of the Doctor's Kitchen books and podcast, and his latest book, Dr. Rupy Cooks is our guest presenter. He joins Isabel Hughes from The Food Foundation , Peter Harding, Chief Executive Officer for Suntory Beverage & Food Europe, Katherine Jenner of the Obesity Health Alliance and Dr Paul McArdle and Jamie Oliver to explore why it was such a turning point in the campaign for access to a healthy diet for everyone in the UK. For more information on the Sugar Tax, click here.