Fair Food Futures UK: using systems mapping to elucidate emerging organisational models adopted by community food organisations (CFOs) to respond to food insecurity in Bradford and Tower Hamlets, London, UK

Since 2010, food insecurity has been growing significantly in the UK and this is posing a significant burden on healthcare services. During the Covid pandemic and into ‘cost of living crisis’. food banks grew rapidly and a variety of organisations (schools, community centres, faith groups) provided food support for the first time. Food banks have been thoroughly studied, but less is known about other forms of support in this varied and fast-growing ‘food support system’.

Systems mapping derived from a scoping survey, workshops and interviews with CFOs staff and service users. Research question: What are the different organisational models, components and inter-dependencies of CFOs operating in two multicultural communities in the North (Bradford) and South (Tower Hamlets) of England? Across the two locations we 1) conducted a survey of CFOs (n=89); 2) developed systems maps with organisations’ staff (n=42) and users (n=25), using a group model building approach; 3) undertook interviews with staff and stakeholders (from n=36 organisations, identified via survey, snowballing and networking). We analysed survey data using descriptive statistics and interview and workshop transcripts using inductive thematic analysis. As service users were a minority in the sample, our findings are largely based on contributions of service providers. Ethical approval for this research project was obtained from the Research Governance Committee of the University of York Department of Health Sciences on May 15, 2023 HSRGC/2023/566/C.

Three main themes were identified: 1) diversity, scale and complexity of the food support sector, 2) variety of approaches adopted to alleviate, reduce or prevent food insecurity; 3) practical and ethical challenges faced by CFOs in addressing residents’ complex needs. Three systems maps were also developed.

Residents’ food support needs are shaped by wider structural issues and awareness is growing that emergency responses are problematic. New models are emerging. These include: embedding advice services to address underlying issues; experimenting with membership models; and combining emergency responses with campaigning to reform the welfare system.

The research described in this abstract has been funded by the NIHR Public Health Research Programme (NIHR151034). The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care.