Following on from its Menu for All launch event on 6 October 2023, Edinburgh Community Food has published its finalised Cash First Toolkit. The Toolkit is designed for community food organisations, their staff and volunteers and related organisations, to support community members in need. It aims is to boost knowledge, confidence and skills around cash …
Food poverty and access
Edinburgh Community Food Cash First Toolkit
Posted in News, Publications news
Area of Work: Food poverty and access
What can community food initiatives do to support cash first approaches to food insecurity?
Published online today, this briefing paper will provide clarity on, raise awareness of, and support use of cash first approaches as the primary response to tackling food insecurity. This will include examples and clarity on how community food initiatives are currently supporting this, ideas on how to join with others locally to further support cash …
Posted in CFHS updates, News, Publications news
Area of Work: Food poverty and access
Going under and without – JRF’s cost of living tracker winter 2022/23
This report from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation provides the current state of play for households on low incomes during the cost of living crisis. It is the third in a series of large scale studies of households in the bottom 40% of incomes, conducted in October 2021, May/June 2022 and October/ November 2022. It reveals …
Posted in News, Publications news
Area of Work: Food poverty and access
Ending the need for food banks
In late October, the Scottish Government published its consultation analysis on the Ending the need for food banks draft plan. It received over 400 responses to the consultation that took place late 2021 and early 2022. Overall, respondents agreed with the approaches the draft plan has to ensure cash first approaches and pathways out of …
Posted in News, Policy news
Area of Work: Food poverty and access
Affording to Eat Well in Scotland – event
Nourish Scotland and Poverty Truth Community are running an online event: Affording to eat well in Scotland. Thursday 10 March 2022, 11:00 – 13:00 The right to food is about more than meeting our daily nutritional requirements. What does it cost to keep us healthy and well? You can find out more, and sign up …
Posted in Events and conferences, News
Area of Work: Food poverty and access
Ending the Need for Food Banks consultation
Public Health Scotland has responded to this recent consultation, which closed on 25 January 2022. You can read the response at the link below. PHS Response – Ending the need for food banks 20.02.22
Posted in CFHS updates, News, Research and consultations
Area of Work: Food poverty and access
Map of UK local food insecurity of adults January 2021
A collaboration between researchers at the University of Sheffield and the Food Foundation has produced a map showing local authority levels of adult food insecurity across the UK in January 2021. You can find the map and more information about the research methodology and measurements used in this blog by researcher Dr Megan Blake. https://geofoodie.org/2021/07/22/uk-local-authority-food-insecurity-map/ …
Posted in Misc food and health, News
Area of Work: Food poverty and access
Guest blog: Katy Gordon discusses the different approaches that two local areas in Scotland took to tackle food access and food insecurity last summer.
In March 2020, like many people, we, as researchers with an interest in food insecurity in the UK, were hugely concerned about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the national lockdown on households’ access to food. It was clear from the outset of the pandemic that need for support with food access was rising …
Posted in CFHS Blog, CFHS updates, Covid-19, Covid-19, News
Area of Work: Food poverty and access
What’s in a name? – Redistributing surplus food via Food hubs, food banks, social supermarkets, larders, community fridges and pantries….. Does the label matter?
In this blog post, our colleague Jacqui McDowell gives her views about the variety of community food provision models using surplus food: Surplus food, emergency food aid and the pandemic Putting to one side any debate and discussion on surplus food (such as definitions or sustainability), redirecting surplus food to emergency food aid has been …
Posted in CFHS Blog, CFHS updates
Areas of Work: Covid-19 information and resources, Food poverty and access
Edinburgh Community Food’s Cash First Journey: Developing and Launching the Cash First Toolkit
In this blog post, Chris Mantle tells us about Edinburgh Community Food (ECF)’s cash first journey. “One of the biggest challenges facing people in poverty is the stigma. Granting an individual the right to use cash or vouchers puts the individual in charge of what they spend the money on. But this is also about …