Deeper Roots, Stronger Futures: unlocking the potential of food partnerships with young people

Food Partnerships (FPs) play a critical role in this space. Food partnerships are networks that bring together organisations such as local authorities, businesses, charities, community groups, and individuals to create fairer, healthier, and more sustainable local food systems.

Their role in improving access to healthy food for young people is essential and young people want to play a role in them; 96% of Co-op members aged 16-25 said they want to see more FPs and want to be involved in them.

What we’ve found

This report highlights the benefits of engaging young people in food partnerships and the positive impact it can have on them:

Local Authority engagement with food partnerships

• Of the 383 local authorities contacted, only half (54%) said they were involved in their food partnership.
• Local authorities in the most deprived areas were 17% more likely to be involved in a food partnership than those in the least deprived areas. 

See the map below to see which local authorities are engaging with food partnerships - a full breakdown is available in the Appendix.

Limited youth participation

• While some food partnerships successfully engage young people, participation is inconsistent.
• Only 28% of all local authorities contacted were able to confirm that their food partnership directly benefits young people, and only 13% confirmed their food partnership involved young people in strategic design or delivery of projects.
• Our data from local authorities found that only 743 young people across the UK have been directly involved in food partnership decision-making structures. 

Barriers to engagement

• Young people face the same obstacles to involvement as adults, including transportation costs, scheduling conflicts, and lack of awareness about food partnerships.
• They can also face additional barriers, including inaccessible formal structures with rigid formats and timings, and cultures that can tell them that they don’t have anything useful to contribute. 

Successful approaches

• Food partnerships that have successfully engaged young people have done so by partnering with schools, youth organisations, and colleges, offering hands-on activities like cooking and growing projects, and ensuring meaningful youth involvement in decision-making. 

What needs to happen next?

The report also includes actionable recommendations for UK Government, local authorities, businesses, charities, and community groups to support their meaningful participation. 

Government action needed

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

Local Authority action needed

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 set out in the report.

Retailers, charities, and community groups getting involved

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

Appendix

*Names have been changed to protect young people's identities. 

Local Authority engagement with food partnerships