New BPC study identifies food security solutions for UK

Almost 75% of people vulnerable to food insecurity “didn’t feel the Government were doing very much to help them,” according to a new report published by the British Poultry Council and leading think tank Demos.

"The Power of Food," sponsored by BPC, launched virtually on 18 September. Research concluded that Government support for people facing food insecurity was inadequate throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and that a more holistic approach to longer-term interventions must be actioned.

Recommendations outlined in the report include for the Government to introduce funding to help tackle food insecurity by developing better and more local social infrastructure in the form of a Community Infrastructure Grant.

Speaking at the launch, British Poultry Council Chief Executive, Richard Griffiths, said: “We want to start a conversation about the power of food and the role of food producers in delivering a food system that leaves no one behind.

We have commissioned this report to help put British food back at the heart of our society at a time when it’s most needed.

Richard Griffiths, British Poultry Council

Maintaining a secure supply of food is essential to feeding the nation. We have commissioned this report to help put British food back at the heart of our society at a time when it’s most needed.

We have world-class production standards turning out high quality food, not least in poultry meat. We should be at the forefront of feeding our citizens, but we sometimes forget what our products mean at a human level. From the pleasure of a Sunday lunch, the school meals that feed the minds of our young people, the shared meals that bring people together, and too often the life-saving hot meal for those who need it most.”

Further recommendations also included:

• The government ensuring funding for direct services, such as cooking lessons, by ring-fencing public health spending for community groups that safeguard access to healthy food.
• The government piloting a local Food Ladder Strategy to ensure all local governments have the resources to develop these inclusive spaces and pioneer different models of service.
• National and local policy makers should take a "Food First" approach to tackling food insecurity: an approach that begins with providing good food alongside other opportunities to users that can help make them more food secure, for example by raising their income.

Read a full copy of the report here.