Tackling food poverty in Southwark one step at a time

A look into how Southwark-based organisations are working together to tackle food insecurity in their local area.

Food poverty, sometimes referred to as food insecurity, is defined as the inability to afford or having restricted access to the foods needed for a healthy and balanced diet.

According to Evelyn Akoto, cabinet member for Community Safety and Public Health in Southwark Borough: “Two million Londoners are living below poverty line, and Southwark is seeing many residents struggle to afford basic food items.”  

Within the aim to tackle the issue of the one in four Southwark residents who are struggling to buy food, local organisation Southwark Food Action Alliance (SFAA) has started a collective of residents and community partners, including Walworth Community Garden Network and University of the Arts London.

The alliance, which was officially formed in September 2017, is also working to highlight the importance of community partnerships whilst promoting and providing healthy and affordable food for residents who may be struggling financially and relying heavily on food banks.  

Food poverty can be caused by many reasons, although it usually occurs due to families or individuals having an insufficient source of income, leading to unhealthier foods such as takeaways becoming the norm in one’s diet as they are likely to be more affordable.

Wholesome foods that should ideally be consumed daily, such as fruit and vegetables, are less accessible, therefore the concern for health is increasing as the necessary dietary needs are not being met.  

The amount of nutrition that should be in one’s daily dietary regimen links to how an individual may perform in everyday life, at work or school for example, but also happens to have an impact on mental and physical well-being.

SFAA’s action plan for 2019-2021 displays the data surrounding the current state of food insecurity within Southwark, with 4,674 households being referred for emergency food aid between 2017-18. Many children from those families have difficulty concentrating at school due to hunger.

A look into the effects of food insecurity shows how a lack of a socially acceptable diet can drastically affect a person’s health. Development in an infant can be impaired due to insufficient nutrition, while anxiety and depressive episodes are likely to occur among food-insecure adults, and increased frailty in older adults (65+) is also probable.  

The alliance, which was co-ordinated by Garden Organic up until May 2019, started a food growing project to highlight the importance of locally sourced food. Previous project co-ordinator of Garden Organic, Debbie Mitchener said: “We aspired to build a place where we could promote community growing spaces.”

The organisations plan to promote knowledge among residents about how to grow their own food, through a series of workshops and training sessopms, aiming to increase their resilience in the face of food poverty.

Since the launch of the community growing project, SFAA have had the support of 60-member organisations within the Southwark area and 24 gardener food growing projects running on Southwark estates. Acting members of the food security project, Edible Rotherhithe, stated: “We are pleased to be a part of the changes being made and aim to eliminate food insecurity in the borough by coming together and taking action.” 

Southwark Council’s strategic director of health and well-being, Professor Kevin Fenton, said: “[The action plan] has provided a way to create momentum around food insecurity and identify ways forward.”

Providing five stages of action: well-being, resilience, access, joining the dots and bigger picture, each ideology presents a case study that the alliance hopes to fulfil within the coming years.

Through reaching out to corporate partners to gain support for funding, and volunteering to encouraging mentoring for those who have experienced food poverty, the SFAA aspires to continue their collaborative work in the hope of improving the current state of food insecurity in the borough whilst increasing awareness of the subject.