Date: 25th May 2023
Time: 9am – 1.30pm
Venue: Lab2, The Forum, Exeter University, EX4 4PZ
Thursday 25th May will see policy makers, community groups, academics and local government officials from across Devon come together to discuss how they can tackle rising food insecurity in the county.
“Food insecurity” is a lack of money to ensure reliable access to food, and can range from anxiety about feeding your family, to skipping meals.
Organised by the Devon Food Partnership the summit will hear and discuss how to respond to recent research showing:
Participants will hear about the scale of the issues across the county, and about the barriers and challenges faced by Devon residents in accessing food on a regular basis. The summit is focused on discussing what can be done to address these issues, including how to better support creative solutions and projects already being created by local community organisations.
“Food insecurity affects people of all ages and backgrounds, yet not all of those experiencing food insecurity are accessing support. From a recent survey, funded by Devon County Council, we know the scale of the issue but, until now, the voices of those most affected by food poverty were missing. The research sheds light on how different kinds of Devon residents are being affected by food insecurity, and how we can make support more accessible to them.”
“The food insecurity summit – the first of its kind locally – will bring together academics, policymakers, and community, public and voluntary sector leaders to discuss how to use this understanding to better support local residents, and, importantly, to help those in most need access regular, good quality food.”
“These are collective problems, and we need to work together to find effective, evidence-based solutions. Coming together in this way gives us the best chance of directing resources to the things that matter, and the things that work.”
The research discussed at the Summit has been funded by Devon County Council and Devon Community Foundation. Five of the six research projects have been coordinated by the VCSE Assembly Food Insecurity Specialist Hub.
Visit Devon Food Partnership’s website.
