How to bring healthier food into communities with food partnerships

In March 2025, Co-op and Barnardo’s ran a survey of 2,000 young people aged 10-25 across the UK. We found that over one in five are in a family that has had issues accessing food in the last six months.  

Food partnerships can make it easier for young people to access more nutritious food in their community. They can also help young people learn about food, where it comes from, and how their local food system works. 

What are food partnerships and why are they important? 

Food partnerships are networks that bring together organisations in a community. This can include local authorities, businesses, charities, community groups, and individuals who work together to create fairer, healthier, and more sustainable local food systems.  

Food partnerships carry out a range of activity where they operate in cities, towns, and counties across the UK. This can include tackling food insecurity through food pantries, running workshops on cooking in schools and working with local farmers and producers to build sustainable supply chains.  

What did our research find? 

We contacted all local authorities in the UK to find out whether they were involved in a food partnership and how they were working with young people. We found that: 

• Only half (54%) of local authorities in the UK are working with a food partnership in their area  

• Local authorities in the most deprived areas are 17% more likely to be involved in a food partnership  

• Only 28% of local authorities could confirm that they were working with a food partnership that benefits young people  

• Only 13% of local authorities could confirm that the food partnership they were working with involved youth voice in decision-making  

Reflecting on our conversations with food partnerships – the Youth Advisory Group 

As part of the process of writing the Deeper Roots, Stronger Futures report, we met food partnerships in our local areas to talk about the work they do and to explore how they involve young people – and if they don’t, what barriers there are to making that happen.

We used this to write 10 practical steps that food partnerships can use to engage effectively with young people. 

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Rebecca’s reflections 

“My interview with my food partnership was extremely informative and showed me the scope of what they can do. Their focus on educating young people, for example on ‘gleaning’ was really interesting - this is when leftover crops are collected after harvest.  

“Giving young people the chance to visit places like farms to see what farmers do and trust those young people to connect and engage with food was great to hear about. My key takeaway is that some food partnerships are already doing vital work to empower young people and take responsibility for shaping their food systems.” 

Hamaam’s reflections 

“My interview with my local food partnership showed me just how important a food partnership is to those who struggle the most, and more importantly how impactful it was to involve young people at the heart and start of it all.  

“It's tricky to name just one important takeaway from my interview but I think I’d say the amazement of how far food partnerships can help community cohesion – that really stood out to me.”  

Rachel’s reflections 

“My main takeaway from my interview with Acorn Farm was that it is vital that we create more awareness, funding and capacity for food partnerships. In order to meaningfully engage young people at all levels of food partnerships, we desperately need to break down barriers to youth participation.  

“Food partnerships are already doing great work, but they need more support to increase their impact on children and young people.”  

Kyson’s reflections 

“Interviews with my food partnerships really highlighted some of the challenges that can come up when engaging young people in established and developing food partnerships. I was really impressed with the creative ways they were working to tackle food insecurity in their areas.  

“My key takeaway was that while running youth focussed projects is great, food partnerships can really go the extra mile by involving young people in their decision-making when it’s possible.”  

Ola’s reflections 

“I think this report really highlights the critical role of food partnerships play in addressing food poverty and fostering youth engagement. Despite their potential, food partnerships often lack structured youth involvement due to logistical barriers and perceptions that can marginalise youth voices.  

“The findings emphasise the need to take an inclusive approach with young people to empower them to shape sustainable, equitable food systems.”  

What we think needs to change 

Through our research, we wanted to not only shed light on the amazing work that food partnerships do, but to also call on decision-makers to support them. We believe that getting young people involved in food partnerships is not just beneficial—it’s essential for building a resilient, inclusive, and sustainable food system.  

We made a number of recommendations in the report, including: 

• The UK Government should use its National Food Strategy to ensure there is a food partnership in every area by 2030, embedding youth participation and drawing from models in Wales and Scotland where policy and funding have driven success.  

• Councils should support the establishment of a food partnership in their area, bringing together businesses, community groups and charities. They should directly involve young people in their food partnership, embedding the 10 steps included in the report. 

• Retailers, charities and community groups should get involved in their food partnerships and make the case for involving young people.