what is the code again?

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The Open Food Network

Also not working Dan

Lots of volunteers setting up local food producers online

Community mobilising support eg mutual aid network

Number of volunteers and community organisations going above and beyond.

How local growers and purveyors are meeting food need.

Volunteers also setting up food hubs to take online orders for home delivery

loving the backdrop Dee :)

Love the backdrop :D

Other volunteers taking phone orders for online shopfronts

Hi everyone, get involved in the conversation and share your insights on Twitter using the hashtag #FoodTalks #FoodTalks

Keep sharing here as well. Responses are very interesting so far

How can we equitably support people who were already in food need?

here is how people are using the Open Food Network https://about.openfoodnetwork.org.uk/starting-out-on-your-ofn-journey/

We need to take pressure off food aid providers, Dee is quite right! Food Banks should not be expected to meet such massive need

"True chaos". This is so sad

Thank you Dee!

thanks Dee

So sad what Dee is sharing

Nourish and the Poverty Truth Community recently updated our suggestions for how community food initiatives who are quickly adapting their responses can keep dignity at the forefront: http://www.nourishscotland.org/resources/guidance-for-community-responses-to-coronavirus/

Very grateful for Dee’s reflections on how community networks are dealing with this

What can we learn? Such an important question raised by Kath.

Please do share the letter from Italy after the tele-conference.

The letter was published by the Guardian

Thanks!

Here is the letter that Dan mentioned - https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/27/a-letter-to-the-uk-from-italy-this-is-what-we-know-about-your-future very moving

Here's how Open Food Network enterprises are dealing with COVID-19 to minimise infection risk https://community.openfoodnetwork.org.uk/t/covid-19-how-is-your-enterprise-responding/460

Thanks everyone

Thank you! What are the conversations occurring around not just food access but what food is consumed/provided? Are there predictions or levels of concern about large sectors of the population being pushed further into malnutrition/undernutrition? Pandemic as obecogenic?

How do we help the food parcels to be more nutritionally balanced? As a funder we'd like to help through funding top-ups or deploying expertise.

To take the pressure off food banks, what advice would you give to frontline staff working with families concerned about their food security?

@Jess A - One important aspect is to ensure nutritionists / dieticians are involved in the conversation higher up the chain (at the food parcel planning stage ideally).

We are also aware that some of the families in need don’t always have adequate kitchen and cooking facilities

From the Food Ethics Council twitter: Shouldn’t this crisis be used to raise the profile and appreciation for local suppliers and local retailers? Has their turn now come?

Better Food Traders are trying to raise the profile of local sustainable retailers using short supply chains, as are Landworkers Alliance

to support Barbara’s comment - already a few mutual aid groups are facing requests for healthy cooked meal provision from people who cannot turn a food parcel into a meal. nor is an unhealthy parcel appropriate for people living with long term illnesses. some areas will be lucky with community meal services, but this can’t be effectively a post code lottery.

Access to accurate information about new and existing financial advice and support available to people will be critical - very important role for people who want to offer support to help people to access all the benefits and financial support they are entitled to (as Kath says, navigating the Universal Credit website can be very frustrating and discouraging - supporting people through that will help)

Could the free school meal food voucher scheme be rolled out more widely, with vouchers redeemable by any good food retailer, not just supermarkets?

Like the healthy start vouchers

Does anyone have thoughts on the impact of the pandemic on food prices moving forward? Issues around supply chain, inflation etc causing prices to rise? In some ways, we may move toward people paying something closer to the 'real' cost of food, but this may make many basics too expensive for people on low incomes. How much of a concern is this? Are there any potential mitigating measures?

Beyond the crisis please

Pearl from Food Cardiff here - we are working with community dieticians to put flyers (recipes and support to keep well) in packs that are going out from 3rd sector. would like to do this in official food parcels too

There has been some great work coordinated by the wholesalers around how food destined for catering can be repurposed into retailers, home delivery and helping those most in need.

here is Open Food Network support to keep markets open and keep producers in business https://community.openfoodnetwork.org.uk/t/moving-food-markets-and-farmers-markets-online/466

@Natasha Re rolling out school vouchers to other types of retailers - we at Sustain/Children’s Food Campaign will be advocating exactly that to DfE and EdenRed, their delivery partner! Wd love your thoughts on who/how. They will be delivered via local schools to parents via e-vouchers where possible.

We are drawing up guidelines for box schemes too

Thank you Kath

Kath - please can you share those market guidelines here?

Nick Weir Kath@sustainweb.org

On the same time there has been a rise onn waste food, mainnly caused by stockpiling. Resaturants are now closed. However, they could prepare food to be then dispatched to vulnerable people on isolation. This could allowed restaurants to keep going although close to the public. This should be funded by local, and national authorities

This is what Growing Communities in Hackney is doing re markets https://www.growingcommunities.org/corona-virus-update#cvsafety

Hey all, I am sure the SFP network is happy to share this: a collation of guidance for markets staying open: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Lpj2WIF_ltTjmmHy7uCqyuSylbQrPDXbfp9XBNOY1yY/edit check out the industry guidance section for new cod market guidance.

we also need to connect farmers and growers to food aid providers and low income/ vulnerable communities by expanding CSA and box schemes

Adrienne Attorp - there is some evidence emerging of impacts on food prices in US. Predictions in UK of price rises on fresh produce in future months due to pressures on production and likely 20% drop in yield. Not clear who will get this extra price though - probably not the farmers...

@Dee WoodsMany of the Better Food Trader veg box schemes are coordinating veg deliveries to local food banks

Rationing has a bad name but veg box schemes do it every week.

And call it sharing

Alison Burrell here from Alexandra Rose Charity scheme. We run the Rose Vouchers for Fruit and Veg Project working closely with local markets. We're seeing a very mixed picture across those we work with. Many traders are choosing not to trade for now, one area has closed their markets, another accidently told food traders they couldn't trade then said they could. So it's a changeable situation. We're also concerned that people are choosing not to go out to shop. Most of our areas are trying to keep markets open for food.

Someone from our Granville team will be in touch @Natasha Soares

What will we be facing if the government steps up restrictions around movement, as they have hinted at?

Thanks Kath, that's interesting. No, very unlikely to go to farmers, as you say. 'Interesting' (in the scary way) to see how food price increases will play out in terms of food access...

Meat prices have gone up in US, but the money is staying with the intermediaries

John's comment raises a question about what we mean by food system. We talk of THE food system but there are different food systems e.g. meat, fresh produce, wine, vodka. Ought planning for circumstances such as we now experience separate food systems into those critical to societal needs and those that effectively are luxury food systems? During WWII resources and supply chains were restructured to meet critical nutrition needs which meant that some kinds of food businesses ceased operation. This was a draconian approach, but it met the country's needs.

Interesting point Sarah! We’ve heard this lots here in Brighotn & Hove too. on this point - i think Mutual Aid and other neighborhood groups can be the fertile ground for that community resilience and solidarity around food that we know is a key element of societal resilience.

Ralph Early: that's a very good point; this is my point about a "playbook". This is known territory, UK has been here before, how do we keep this knowledge alive and have it ready to go much more efficiently and fairly than it is happening at the moment.

Local is an interesting topic too - local for us is also food processed locally as well as grown locallt

Sorry locally

Some growers who are trying to set up horticultural production sites are still being thwarted by planning issues eg. Goonown Growers in Cornwall

Is there guidance on community farms and gardens staying open, akin to markets info that’s been circulated?

question to Sarah and others - how do we join up efforts better between neighborhood level mutual support groups with charity and council-led emergency food aid responses - and crucially to strengthen these links for resilience-building in the future? I love the idea of telling these stories.

Food prices maybe also affected by Brexit

I think Ruth laytons comment is important re processed foods eg meats or flour - issue around being able to rebuild local infrastructure for milling, cutting, part and full processing as well as other needs for farmers and growers. more long terms issue maybe?

Dairy industry saying that they're getting 2p less per litre for milk as foodservice outlet markets dry up

With global supply chains, what are the conversations occurring around what the effects of food availability will be when covid hits the global south?

And that loss is passed on to the farmer; the dairy processors certainly aren't taking the hit.

Tamar Valley Food Hubs have this approach to tackling food poverty https://drive.google.com/file/d/1468hQeMzTg4Vytyv8vPfjoHPF9yjCmt_/view?usp=sharing

@SarahW Sustain what’s happening re community gardens and guidance?

@ Sarah Stever - follow Prof. Tim Benton, he has been looking at international supply chains and big food supply decisions by national governments. Yes, his has big implications for the Global South.

Yes shorter supply chains with fewer cost centres will put the money back down the chain

Buying from retailers who prioritise direct from farmers (like Better Food Traders member organisations) allow a much higher percentage of the cost of food to go to the producer

Yes!

We need to support farmers in the good times so that they can support us in the bad

Yes! (You know I agree with you on everything, Tash!)

Agree training of chefs to work with what we have is so important

We talk a lot about reinvigorating local food systems, but have work and lifestyles changed to such an extent that for most people the supermarket model of retailing is most convenient, efficient and practical?

Yes and modern technology can allow us to do that with local food systems too?

Kath had a computer crash, she will be back with us shortly :)

As a Public Health Nutritionist. I can say that epidemic and pandemic were expected, especially due to climate change. The World Health Organization had given strategy on how to tackle epidemic but mainly at Health system level. The government should prepare comprehensive action plan to tackle future epidemic

@ John Ingram At Growing Communities/Better Food Traders we have a system of subsidiarity and talk about a 'localised' (not only local) food system based on the 'food zones' https://betterfoodtraders.org/why-it-matters/the-food-zones/

You might be interested in our briefing for local authorities, based on Sara's comment on joining things up - feel free to use: http://www.foodsensewales.org.uk/pdf/Food-Access-and-Covid-19-Local-Authorities.pdf

Hooray for Dee!!!

Yes indeed!

👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Sufficient food - a morally sound concept, but one that conflicts with the objectives of some of the largest food corporations which spend fortunes encouraging us to overconsume.

LOVE that thought Kath - we are all key workers now!

beautiful final messages all, thanks.

Hi Anna!

Sustain is organising various webinars for practitioners - frontline and local authority - we will provide connections and ways to get involved here: https://www.sustainweb.org/coronavirus/ (rapidly evolving, bookmark, get on our mailing lists)

We have provided links here to emergency funders: https://www.sustainweb.org/coronavirus/funders_and_funding/

Lots going on, relating to food and vulnerability: https://www.sustainweb.org/coronavirus/food_and_vulnerability/

food equity

@dee - no recourse to funds came up at the no10 briefing today fyi

Thanks Kath!

@vicki Brilliant!

Nice, Dan!

v for volunteer power as well :)

share that Dan

Thanks very much guys for opening this talk for the public audience. It really meant so much to feel the pulse of food sustainability system during this time. I am an impact hub member and I work in the field of weight management and behavioral medicine services and research and currently run a digital health startup. If there is anything I could help with, I would be happy to do so. Feel free to connect https://www.linkedin.com/in/manal-health-behavior

community food hubs

Carolyn Steel's book is brilliant!

Interested

yes to meeting in a month please

yes please to ongoing talks!!

Interested

ooh a competition

Yes please to more talks!

Thanks so much!

Thanks!

thanks everyone! really brill. yes to reset :)

Thank you!

thanks for the talk

HENRY practitioners are offering Starting Solids, Fussy Eating 1 to 1 sessions by phone and video calls.Linden Children's Centre 86/92 Rectory Road N16 7SHhttps://www.facebook.com/HENRY-City-Hackney-2822673887749397/

Risk assessment, comprehensive plan know your community