State-funded restaurants to feed people who can't afford it
Two new subsidised eateries are set to launch in Dundee and Nottingham to serve up nutritious meals in a communal atmosphere for families struggling with food poverty, the Government has unveiled. Slated to open their doors in the summer of next year, these establishments will aim to provide "universal access" to wholesome, sustainably-sourced fare, with a focus on supporting families in need, disclosed Science and Technology Secretary Peter Kyle.
These dining venues are part of six innovative endeavours that will share a pot of £8.5 million from Government coffers, earmarked to address the disparities in food accessibility.
Another initiative includes mapping out a course for a mobile greengrocer — the "Queen of Greens" bus — to bring fresh produce to Liverpool's social housing areas where residents face difficulties in obtaining nutritious fruit and veg.
Anticipated to gear up by spring of next year, this scheme will enhance the existing service that the bus has been providing around Liverpool and Knowsley since 2022, explained Mr Kyle.
Certain communities can also expect to receive vouchers entitling them to select fresh fruit and vegetables right off the bus. The impact of this intervention on dietary habits and overall health will be closely monitored by researchers, offering insights into how such programmes could potentially benefit people nationwide if adopted more broadly.
Following the Government's unveiling of its 10-Year Health Plan, which recently proposed fines for supermarkets not promoting healthier food options, new initiatives are being rolled out.
These include examining the impact of community food markets in Glasgow's "food deserts", where access to fresh groceries is scarce, gathering feedback from food pantry users on additional services they'd like, such as cooking classes or recipe boxes, and enhancing both the nutritional value and uptake of free school meals, reports Bristol Live.
Mr Kyle said: "No one in this country should be left unable to access the healthy food they need – which is why interventions like the Queen of Greens are so important – and measuring their impact is so vital.
"These projects will draw on the power of research to actively explore the best ways to get healthy food into the mouths of those who need it, potentially having a transformational effect on people's lives, and fulfilling the missions set in our Plan for Change."
Lucy Antal, the director of Alchemic Kitchen CIC and spearhead of the Queen of Greens initiative, said: "We are very much looking forward to working on this new research project with all the team assembled by the University of Liverpool.
"It will be a great opportunity to trial an expansion into supporting social housing tenants to access fresh produce, and to have the health and social impact of this intervention measured and assessed. The Queen of Greens is for everyone, and the data produced will help support our future activity."
Professor Alison Park, deputy executive chairwoman of the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), said: "Everyone should have access to healthy, nutritious food but we know the number of food insecure households across the UK is increasing.
"These innovative projects from across the UK – from Wales to Dundee, Nottingham to the Isle of Wight – will go a long way in helping us understand how to tackle food inequalities and what interventions really make a difference."
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