Babergh & Mid Suffolk Food Network Project

BMSDC is seeking to appoint a Single Service Delivery Provider or Group with a 'Lead Operator' to deliver a Food Security Development Officer role aimed at supporting community food projects, with a particular focus on community pantries, community fridges and food pop-ups, and building relationships with food suppliers, producers and retailers in order to open up food pathways in the districts and maximise the supply of food across all community food projects to ensure.

a) co-ordination and co-operation between all parties - food banks/pantries/fridges/other food projects and food producers and suppliers (including supermarkets)

b) improved communication between community-led food projects and food producers/suppliers

c) fair distribution to all community food distribution points across the districts

d) vulnerable individuals and families have access to sufficient food items in accessible locations and that there is a reasonable geographical spread of community food projects.

The aim is to stimulate new food projects, including Community Pantries developed using either the Your Local Pantry or Fare Share models, food pop-ups and community fridges, as well as connecting food growers and producers with the emerging network of food projects across the districts through a new Babergh & Mid Suffolk Food Network to increase the flow of food and stabilise food pathways as much as possible.

The Food Security Development Officer role is being funded through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and will be seeking to achieve economies of scale by collaborating with all lead authorities within Suffolk on food related projects, including the Suffolk County Council Food Bank lead and Suffolk Libraries who are exploring opportunities to develop community supermarkets in Suffolk and any new Food Network projects that arise. The By collaborating with other food related projects, the Food Security Development Officer will ensure that they are able to adapt their role appropriately as food networks continue to develop.

The Officer will also support the development of Community Fridges and pop-up food projects across the districts.