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The Food Roots programme

In London, the main driver of food insecurity is financial hardship, and the ongoing cost of living crisis has resulted in an increased number of Londoners facing crisis.

Alongside immediate support for Londoners struggling with the cost of living, the Mayor of London is committed to supporting work to address the long-term drivers of food insecurity.

Food Roots overview

The Food Roots programme has run since 2021 and supports local food partnerships to embed more sustainable and resilient approaches to tackling food insecurity in their communities.

Partnerships between local authorities, civil society organisations and businesses played an integral role throughout the COVID-19 pandemic in helping Londoners experiencing food insecurity to access food.

Current programmes

Food Roots, round two

This round of Food Roots is now in delivery. The 12-month programme will be made up of three components:

  1. Direct grants available to for new or existing food partnerships to improve the resilience and sustainability of their local response to food insecurity over 12 months. 
  2. An accompanying support programme, providing learning sessions and mentoring for grantee organisations, ensuring that sustainable delivery is at the heart of the offer. This will include specific training and support to partnerships to help them to increase the take up of Healthy Start in their communities.
  3. Independent evaluation of the programme. Engagement in the evaluation and accompanying support programme will be a requirement for grant recipients.

We are grateful for all applications that were submitted. The programme is excited to be supporting the following grantees for a year, with delivery beginning in October:

  • Bexley Voluntary Services Council 
  • Bridge Renewal Trust 
  • Croydon Voluntary Action 
  • Feast With Us 
  • Greenwich Community Development Agency 
  • Groundwork London 
  • Hackney Food Bank 
  • Hornbeam 
  • Kensington & Chelsea Social Council 
  • Kingsley Hall 
  • Kingston Voluntary Action 
  • London Borough of Ealing 
  • London Borough of Enfield 
  • London Borough of Lambeth 
  • London Borough of Merton 
  • London Borough of Newham 
  • Lewisham Local 
  • Manor Gardens Centre 
  • Nourish Hub 
  • Spring Community Hub 
  • Sufra North West London

Previous programmes

Food Roots Incubator

As a way of extending and embedding the good work that was already taking place, the Food Roots Incubator programme ran from May 2021 to August 2022. The programme supported 10 food partnerships across London with grants and incubator support to learn, grow, and develop more resilient and sustainable delivery approaches.

Food partnership grants

In recognition of the extraordinary level of pressure that food partnerships were coming under as a result of the cost-of-living crisis, the Mayor provided short-term capacity grants to food partnerships in 30 different London boroughs in winter 2022-23.

These grants supported new and continuing best practice in partnership working and financial support in crisis settings, with delivery of different projects running from February to August 2023.

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