By Ali Ghanimi<\/strong><\/h2>\nTransforming public sector food buying in Brighton and Hove is improving access to healthy, affordable, sustainable food.<\/strong><\/h2>\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]New figures released by Trussell<\/a> reveal that more than 2.6 million emergency food parcels were provided to people across the UK in 2025 as hunger and hardship continues to grip communities.<\/p>\nThe Food Foundation\u2019s Food Prices Tracker<\/a> shows that a reasonably costed basket of nutritious food has increased by around 35% since 2022. Proportionally, low-income households spend roughly 1.6\u20131.7 times more of their budget on food than high-income households. As well as the cost, less affluent communities face other barriers to eating healthily. Brighton and Hove has significantly higher number of fast-food outlets per capita than the national average and seven of its neighbourhoods are in the top 20% of places in England with food desert characteristics \u2013 a mixture of low incomes, poor access to transport, and a limited number of food retailers providing fresh produce and healthy groceries for affordable prices.<\/p>\nUnsurprisingly we see this impact on health inequalities. Almost a third of children in the city are overweight and only 38% of adults and 51% of 14-16 year olds<\/a> consume 5 or more portions of fruit and veg per day. There is a 20% gap in healthy weight for children in the most and least deprived areas of the city and this gap has been widening.\u00a0 So what can be done to tackle these inequalities to enable everyone, including those in less affluent areas, to eat well? <\/strong>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\nCollaborating for better policies through the FoodSEqual project <\/strong><\/h3>\nFood System Equality (or FoodSEqual for short) is a UKRI-funded project which is empowering citizens living in less affluent areas to have more choice and agency over the food they consume. Local people in Brighton and Hove have been working with community researchers, universities, businesses and food partnerships to create\u00a0new products, new supply chains, and new policy frameworks\u00a0that deliver an affordable attractive, healthy and sustainable diet.<\/p>\n
During the FoodSEqual policy workshops, listening to Brighton\u2019s communities about what they wished to eat and the barriers they faced to eating well was revealing. People expressed a desire to eat seasonal and locally produced food, but their choices were limited by what was on offer. As people said, \u201chealthy food should be the norm, not a luxury\u201d. They wanted clear information on where their food comes from, less junk food advertising, better school food education and school meal environments, improved access to healthy food and healthy start vouchers. The research turned people\u2019s views into policy recommendations in our FoodSEqual policy brief<\/a>, and embedded them into Brighton and Hove\u2019s Food Strategy.<\/p>\nHealthy, sustainable, fair food for all is the vision driving the city\u2019s Food Strategy Action Plan<\/a>, which has seen development of a \u2018Whole School Food Approach\u2019<\/a> and increased uptake of Healthy Start vouchers, Free School Meals, and the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme. But when thinking about policy change that can widen impact, public sector food kept coming up. As the food strategy states: \u2018Large caterers and food businesses have the power to transform food systems \u2013 relatively small changes here can have a bigger impact\u2019.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]![\"\"](\"https:\/\/research.reading.ac.uk\/food-systems-equality\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/186\/2026\/04\/Policy-impact-blog-IMG_1512--scaled.png\")
[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\nPublic money for public good: the Sussex Saver meal<\/strong><\/h3>\nPublic sector food buyers, such as hospitals, schools, colleges and universities, can play a significant role in supporting the health of citizens as well as boosting local food economies. Each year in the UK, the public sector spends between \u00a32-5 billion on food, influencing what people eat and how food is produced.<\/p>\n
Influencing the supply chain of large contract caterers isn\u2019t easy. In July 2025, FoodSEqual sponsored a University of Sussex local stakeholder policy event that triggered conversations around sustainable food procurement practices in the university. While the university caterer, Chartwell\u2019s Universities, is already working with local suppliers, working with the University of Sussex and the FoodSEqual project, the Brighton and Hove Food Partnership helped identify a way to further support Chartwells\u2019 existing efforts towards sustainability.<\/p>\n
The ‘Sussex Saver’ meal \u2013 costed at around \u00a32.50 – subtly nudges cost-savvy students towards the sustainable, vegetarian option. This is a really affordable, substantive and nutritious meal, popular with students. There is a more expensive meat option and, in step with Brighton and Hove Food Partnership\u2019s Sussex Grazed<\/a> project, the caterer has just started to trial switching from beef to more healthy and sustainable South Downs venison.<\/p>\nResponsible culling helps control out of balance deer herds, which in turn protects young forests, supports biodiversity, and allows ecosystems to regenerate naturally. This practice reduces the need for intensive farming, lowering the carbon footprint associated with meat production. Venison itself is lean, high in protein, and rich in essential nutrients such as iron, zinc, and B vitamins, making it a healthy alternative to many commercially farmed meats.<\/p>\n
Sandra Juan Delgado, Social Impact and Sustainability Manager for Chartwells Universities said:<\/p>\n
\u201cTransitioning from beef to venison is\u00a0an important step\u00a0toward more sustainable and ethically sourced food systems.\u00a0I\u2019m\u00a0enthusiastic about this initiative because it makes it easier for our campus community to adopt lower-impact diets without the sense of restriction that often holds people back from making change.\u201d\u00a0–<\/em><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/em>For full farm-to-fork traceability, Brighton and Hove Food Partnership connected Chartwell\u2019s Universities with Chefs Farms<\/a> who source from local growers. As a result, Sussex university students will have seasonal local farm produce on their menus in the new academic year commencing in September 2026.[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]![\"\"](\"https:\/\/research.reading.ac.uk\/food-systems-equality\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/186\/2026\/04\/policy-impact-blog-IMG_1513.png\")
[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\nExtending impact in the city<\/strong><\/h3>\n
[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]New figures released by Trussell<\/a> reveal that more than 2.6 million emergency food parcels were provided to people across the UK in 2025 as hunger and hardship continues to grip communities.<\/p>\n The Food Foundation\u2019s Food Prices Tracker<\/a> shows that a reasonably costed basket of nutritious food has increased by around 35% since 2022. Proportionally, low-income households spend roughly 1.6\u20131.7 times more of their budget on food than high-income households. As well as the cost, less affluent communities face other barriers to eating healthily. Brighton and Hove has significantly higher number of fast-food outlets per capita than the national average and seven of its neighbourhoods are in the top 20% of places in England with food desert characteristics \u2013 a mixture of low incomes, poor access to transport, and a limited number of food retailers providing fresh produce and healthy groceries for affordable prices.<\/p>\n Unsurprisingly we see this impact on health inequalities. Almost a third of children in the city are overweight and only 38% of adults and 51% of 14-16 year olds<\/a> consume 5 or more portions of fruit and veg per day. There is a 20% gap in healthy weight for children in the most and least deprived areas of the city and this gap has been widening.\u00a0 So what can be done to tackle these inequalities to enable everyone, including those in less affluent areas, to eat well? <\/strong>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n Food System Equality (or FoodSEqual for short) is a UKRI-funded project which is empowering citizens living in less affluent areas to have more choice and agency over the food they consume. Local people in Brighton and Hove have been working with community researchers, universities, businesses and food partnerships to create\u00a0new products, new supply chains, and new policy frameworks\u00a0that deliver an affordable attractive, healthy and sustainable diet.<\/p>\n During the FoodSEqual policy workshops, listening to Brighton\u2019s communities about what they wished to eat and the barriers they faced to eating well was revealing. People expressed a desire to eat seasonal and locally produced food, but their choices were limited by what was on offer. As people said, \u201chealthy food should be the norm, not a luxury\u201d. They wanted clear information on where their food comes from, less junk food advertising, better school food education and school meal environments, improved access to healthy food and healthy start vouchers. The research turned people\u2019s views into policy recommendations in our FoodSEqual policy brief<\/a>, and embedded them into Brighton and Hove\u2019s Food Strategy.<\/p>\n Healthy, sustainable, fair food for all is the vision driving the city\u2019s Food Strategy Action Plan<\/a>, which has seen development of a \u2018Whole School Food Approach\u2019<\/a> and increased uptake of Healthy Start vouchers, Free School Meals, and the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme. But when thinking about policy change that can widen impact, public sector food kept coming up. As the food strategy states: \u2018Large caterers and food businesses have the power to transform food systems \u2013 relatively small changes here can have a bigger impact\u2019.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Public sector food buyers, such as hospitals, schools, colleges and universities, can play a significant role in supporting the health of citizens as well as boosting local food economies. Each year in the UK, the public sector spends between \u00a32-5 billion on food, influencing what people eat and how food is produced.<\/p>\n Influencing the supply chain of large contract caterers isn\u2019t easy. In July 2025, FoodSEqual sponsored a University of Sussex local stakeholder policy event that triggered conversations around sustainable food procurement practices in the university. While the university caterer, Chartwell\u2019s Universities, is already working with local suppliers, working with the University of Sussex and the FoodSEqual project, the Brighton and Hove Food Partnership helped identify a way to further support Chartwells\u2019 existing efforts towards sustainability.<\/p>\n The ‘Sussex Saver’ meal \u2013 costed at around \u00a32.50 – subtly nudges cost-savvy students towards the sustainable, vegetarian option. This is a really affordable, substantive and nutritious meal, popular with students. There is a more expensive meat option and, in step with Brighton and Hove Food Partnership\u2019s Sussex Grazed<\/a> project, the caterer has just started to trial switching from beef to more healthy and sustainable South Downs venison.<\/p>\n Responsible culling helps control out of balance deer herds, which in turn protects young forests, supports biodiversity, and allows ecosystems to regenerate naturally. This practice reduces the need for intensive farming, lowering the carbon footprint associated with meat production. Venison itself is lean, high in protein, and rich in essential nutrients such as iron, zinc, and B vitamins, making it a healthy alternative to many commercially farmed meats.<\/p>\n Sandra Juan Delgado, Social Impact and Sustainability Manager for Chartwells Universities said:<\/p>\n \u201cTransitioning from beef to venison is\u00a0an important step\u00a0toward more sustainable and ethically sourced food systems.\u00a0I\u2019m\u00a0enthusiastic about this initiative because it makes it easier for our campus community to adopt lower-impact diets without the sense of restriction that often holds people back from making change.\u201d\u00a0–<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em>For full farm-to-fork traceability, Brighton and Hove Food Partnership connected Chartwell\u2019s Universities with Chefs Farms<\/a> who source from local growers. As a result, Sussex university students will have seasonal local farm produce on their menus in the new academic year commencing in September 2026.[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Collaborating for better policies through the FoodSEqual project <\/strong><\/h3>\n
[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\nPublic money for public good: the Sussex Saver meal<\/strong><\/h3>\n
[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\nExtending impact in the city<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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