About the project
With 7.3 million UK adults experiencing food insecurity, new approaches are urgently needed. Food clubs offer an alternative to food banks - regular affordable access to healthy food and community connection rather than emergency parcels.
The Tavistock Institute is evaluating Nourish the Nation’s Food Insecurity Prevention programme, funded by Comic Relief and Sainsbury’s. This programme supports three organisations scale up their work, and strengthens their food club models:
- Feeding Britain
- The Bread and Butter Thing
- The FoodSavers Network
What we’re doing
We’re visiting food clubs across the UK to understand:
- How members experience food clubs;
- What difference they make to people’s lives;
- How sustainable the food clubs are;
- What lessons can inform future policy and practice.
Our approach is participatory - we work alongside food club members, staff and volunteers to ensure their voices shape our findings.
Why it matters
This evaluation will provide vital evidence about whether food clubs offer a dignified, effective alternative to traditional food banks. The findings will inform future investment and policy decisions about tackling food insecurity.
How it fits in
This research aligns with TIHR’s commitment to understanding and addressing poverty, inequality and social exclusion. It also advances our expertise in participatory methods - working alongside people with lived experience to ensure their voices shape both the research process and outcomes.