Food Matters: Reducing food inequalities in secondary aged young people 2024 - 2025

It is increasingly difficult for people on a lower income to afford to eat a healthy diet. Demand for support from food banks and community food providers is growing, and providing healthy, fresh food can be challenging - due to the cost, shelf-life and storage requirements. Individuals and families in some forms of temporary accommodation or struggling with utilities bills may not have access to the means to store, prepare and cook fresh produce. This will negatively affect health outcomes and increase health inequalities, e.g. stunted growth, excess weight, worse oral health.

Around 4 in 10 adults still report having to spend more than usual on their food shopping and the number of people fed by Bedford Foodbank has trebled in the last 5 years. Among children and young people obesity prevalence is significantly higher in children living in the most deprived areas and obesity is more common among children of Black and Asian ethnicity (Source: NCMP, 5 years of data combined (2016-17, 2017-18, 2018-19, 2019-20 and 2021-22).

As part of the wider work to utilise the health inequalities funding, two objectives have been identified: Objective 1: Work with the Food Providers' Network to increase the coverage and support the sustainability of emergency and community food provision. Objective 2: Increase the consumption of fresh fruit and vegetables for residents of all ages who are accessing emergency and community food provision. There have been a variety of projects and work taken forward to address these objectives and part of this is a more specific focus on young people of secondary school age: 11 to 19 years, or up to 25 with SEND. We invite organisations, including education settings, who work directly with secondary-aged young people to bid for up to ?5,000 to address the following objectives: a) Target the following support towards young people (11 to 19 years, or up to 25 with SEND), ensuring an inclusive approach for those from our most deprived areas and/or whose families are struggling with the cost-of-living. b) Increase access to fresh fruit and vegetables as part of a well-balanced diet. c) Work in collaboration with young people to develop budgeting, menu planning, where and how to shop and food preparation skills. d) Experience food growing as part of a greater understanding of 'source to plate'. e) Produce insights with young people to gain a greater understanding of their current food experiences throughout a whole day, including what they actually eat and what are the barriers to access and enjoying a healthier diet. f) Support current emergency food providers with how to specifically support young people.