The Food Foundation Podcast

This week, Dev looks back at the Food Foundation's Feed the Future event which promoted the super powers of free school meals to a hall full of MPs, campaigners and celebrity chefs.800,000 children live in poverty in the UK, but because they’re not poor enough, they’re not entitled to free school meals. The threshold is just £7400 per household after benefits, yet expanding free school meals to all children from households who get Universal Credit would reach all these children in poverty.As the influencer guests sat down for a Chefs in School dinner served by Tom Kerridge and Melissa Hemsley, and with young people who’ve experienced first-hand just how important free school meals are, the chat was enlightening for everyone.Write to your MP in seconds to ask for free schools for all children who need it by clicking on this link Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Accompanying the publication this week of the Food Foundation's annual State of the Nation report, we look at how the Out of Home sector is woefully behind in setting health targets, and providing healthier food options for the vast number of people - including children - who eat out regularly.Presented by Food Foundation young food ambassador, Saf, we hear from Sainsbury's, Eating Better and the Soil Association about why mandatory reporting on access to healthy and affordable food when we're out and about is so important.For full details of the report, click here Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Yumna, one of our young food ambassadors takes us to her home town of Birmingham and the Commonwealth Food Futures 2022 conference where 20 cities around the world showcase their plans to transform the food system. Yumna speaks to Dr David Nabarro, co-leader of the United Nation's Global Crisis Response Group, nurse, midwife, activist and the first female Foreign Minister of Somaliland from 2003 to 2006, Dr Edna Adan Ismail and Dr Justin Varney from Birmingham City Council. We hear from people leading change in thinking and practice from Malawi to Gujerat and Namibia, while Leyla Kazim from BBC Radio 4's The Food Programme who was hosting the day reflects on how much she's learned.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, sisters Laiba and Rushda, two of the Food Foundation's newest young ambassadors, report on how learning to cook, eating fresh food and growing it in nursery and pre-school gardens could help to transform our food culture and the nation’s health.At Crookfur Family Centre in Newton Mearns, near Glasgow, they find how kids learn to play with broccoli trees in the dinosaur sand pit, run a pretend grocer’s shop, create art projects with vegetables and sing vegetable songs as part of a Nourish Scotland and Peas Please pilot. And at Maple Tree nursery and pre-school in Walsall, Laiba and Rushda find out how the Soil Association's Food for Life programme has created a food-centred environment for the whole family. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Jani looks at how a Good Food Bill could create a more resilient system, feeding people better and future-proofing food insecurity in the UK as we face a massive rise in the cost of living, food shortages, energy hikes and climate change. The waters are getting very choppy for all of us. But for some of the most vulnerable, it's really scary.  Isabel Hughes from The Food Foundation and Pete Ritchie of Nourish Scotland explore what a Good Food Bill could do for the most vulnerable. Mum of four, Kathleen, and Jani and her uni house mates report from the front line of food insecurity. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we’re looking at Levelling Up, the Government's plan to equal out the differences between north and south to help towns recover from decades of poverty. Asha, one of the Food Foundation's teenage ambassadors, finds out what that means in her home town of Barrow-in-Furness on the North West coast.Once known as the Chicago of England, Barrow was the largest iron and steel producer in the world and is still an important shipyard. Asha finds out what the issues are, and finds some inspiring projects already being supported by local government. Could the closed down shops in hollowed out high streets become food hubs in a new vision of food as central to community life? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Food Foundation ambassador, Ryan McShane and Act4Food Act4Change youth leader, Dara Karakolis present this special episode of Right2Food from COP26. With roving reporters, Dev, Bernis and Yumna joining them to bring the young person's view from Glasgow, they explain why it's so important that food and farming is on the climate change agenda. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Food Foundation ambassadors Fayeth and Beth explore the stigma and availability of healthy options in free school meals, and the trail blazing example set by Nourish Scotland and the Scottish government. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Beth, one of the Food Foundation's teenage ambassadors, takes us back to the heady days of summer when holiday activity programmes funded by the Government gave so many kids a chance to get at least one good meal a day. A host of parents, teachers and play scheme leaders, including the award winning Abraham Moss Warriors, explain why it's vital that the Holiday Activities and Food Programme continues to support families in need. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join Asha and the Food Foundation's young food advocates as they camp out for a weekend of growth, learning and creativity at Valley Fest in Somerset. As they develop their understanding of food system transformation and their advocacy and campaigning skills in a fun and engaging environment, they're inspired by business leaders, campaigners, politicians, and policy makers, as well as young food advocates, activists, artists and entrepreneurs.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.