The role of food clubs in tackling food insecurity

At a time when food insecurity continues to affect millions of people across the UK, food clubs are playing an increasingly important role in supporting households to access affordable food. Food clubs provide members with regular access to nutritious food, often for a small weekly fee.

This workshop draws on findings from the Tavistock Institute’s participatory evaluation of the Nourish the Nation programme, which explored the experience and impact of using food clubs. The evaluation engaged over 75 members, volunteers and staff across urban and rural settings, alongside interviews with 11 national and local stakeholders including government officials. It found strong evidence of impact across financial resilience, diet, mental health and community connection, but also surfaced tensions between affordability and sustainability, and about who food clubs currently fail to reach.

Launched in 2022 by Sainsbury’s and Comic Relief, Nourish the Nation is a UK-wide programme that aims to create more food-secure communities. Through partnerships with organisations including Feeding Britain, The Bread and Butter Thing and FoodSavers Network, the programme has helped expand access to nutritious, affordable food while connecting people to wider support within their communities.

The conversation will cover:

• What the evaluation’s findings add to the existing evidence base on the impact of food clubs for households, communities and local systems;
• Practical lessons on what makes food clubs effective, sustainable and valued by members;
• The role food clubs can play in reducing food insecurity through the wider support they offer members, beyond food itself;
• The strategic alignment between food clubs and current government policy aimed at reducing the need for emergency food aid.

Whether you’re involved in community food programmes, local government, the voluntary sector, public health, or simply interested in building healthier, more resilient communities, this is an opportunity to learn, connect and contribute to the conversation.

This online workshop will be hosted by Ryan Wise (Principal Consultant at TIHR). He will be joined on the panel by:

Andrew Forsery (National Director) and Anna Lopez (Project Manager) from Feeding Britain: Feeding Britain is a charity with a vision of a UK where no one goes hungry. They support a national network of 143 regional and local anti-hunger partnerships, which include more than 410 Affordable Food Clubs, which include pantries, larders and social supermarkets. Its model focuses on helping households access low-cost food locally, reducing reliance on food banks, and connecting people to wider support within their communities.

Juli Thompson (CEO) from FoodSavers Network: FoodSavers is run by Inn Churches and works with regional partners to set up food clubs, which are currently based in Bradford, Calderdale and Leeds in West Yorkshire. It combines food clubs and the opportunity for members to accrue regular savings in a Credit Union account in their name. The network focuses on strengthening local food systems, reducing food waste, and creating welcoming community spaces where people can access food and wider support.

Vic Harper (CEO) from The Bread and Butter Thing (TBBT). TBBT supports more than 160 food clubs across the North of England. They operate a large-scale membership food club model that redistributes surplus food from retailers and manufacturers. Members pay a small fee for regular deliveries of affordable food, with the model designed to improve food security, reduce food waste, and provide a dignified, preventative alternative to crisis food support.