The end of 2024 brought with it a renewed commitment from the Government to tackle food insecurity and ensure access to nutritious food for all. In our latest blog, Policy and Advocacy Manager, Amy Deptford reflects on the Government’s new food strategy announcement, and how financial incentives like Rose Vouchers could play an important role in making a meaningful difference for families struggling to afford healthy food.
Steve Reed MP, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, has unveiled plans to develop an ambitious new food strategy. Working with the Department for Health and Social Care, the Department for Education, and partners across the food and farming sector, the strategy promises to ensure the food system is “able to feed the nation, realise its potential for economic growth, protect the planet, and nourish individuals.”
We welcome the announcements alongside many others in the food and farming sector who have been concerned by the lack of political priority given to the food we grow and eat. The latest UK Food Security Report highlights the urgent need for this strategy, revealing that the cost of food has risen to a 45-year high, with the price of vegetables increasing by over 10% since 2020. Worryingly, families living on the lowest incomes now eat 42% less fruit and vegetables than recommended. With the cost of meeting the Government’s 5-a-day recommendations increasing by up to 46p per person per day, affording a healthy diet is even further out of reach for so many.
At Alexandra Rose Charity, we know the power of targeted interventions that help families on low incomes afford fruit and veg. We are especially pleased to hear that the new food strategy will build upon the 2021 National Food Strategy led by Henry Dimbleby. Our Fruit & Veg on Prescription project, where GPs prescribe Rose Vouchers for Fruit and Veg to adults suffering the effects of poor diet and food poverty,was inspired by the Community Eatwell recommendation made in this strategy. Our recent report demonstrates how these projects can transform diet and health outcomes whilst investing in a healthy local food economy.
Improving the availability and affordability of fruit and veg to those on the lowest incomes must be a key focus of the Government’s new food strategy. We’ve invited the Food Strategy team to visit our Rose Voucher projects to see firsthand how our work supports people facing food insecurity to afford healthy food. We hope to work with the Government to replicate and scale our innovative solutions to create a fairer, healthier food system for all.