A new government-backed project is using mapping technology to guide mobile greengrocers to areas where residents struggle to access fresh, healthy food essential for ageing well.
Announced on 7 July, the initiative is part of a wider programme in which six projects across the UK will share £8.5m in funding to tackle food inequality and explore how improving access to nutritious food can support longer lives and reduce health disparities in older age.
One of the flagship projects, led by the University of Liverpool, will develop a mapping tool to help direct the Queen of Greens mobile greengrocer to social housing areas where access to fresh produce is limited. Researchers will study how better nutrition access affects health outcomes, particularly for older residents who may find it difficult to reach conventional shops.
The Queen of Greens has been delivering affordable fruit and vegetables across Liverpool and Knowsley since 2022. The new research will expand and adjust its routes to ensure the service reaches people in neighbourhoods where accessing healthy food is more difficult.
“No one in this country should be left unable to access the healthy food they need – which is why interventions like the Queen of Greens are so important – and measuring their impact is so vital,” said science and technology secretary Peter Kyle.
“These projects will draw on the power of research to actively explore the best ways to get healthy food into the mouths of those who need it, potentially having a transformational effect on people’s lives, and fulfilling the missions set in our Plan for Change.”
The Liverpool study will also test fruit and vegetable vouchers provided by the Alexandra Rose Charity, which residents can use on the Queen of Greens. Researchers will track dietary and health changes and use computer modelling to predict what impact these interventions might have if rolled out nationally.
Lucy Antal, director of Alchemic Kitchen CIC, which operates the Queen of Greens, said: “We are very much looking forward to working on this new research project with all the team assembled by the University of Liverpool. It will be a great opportunity to trial an expansion into supporting social housing tenants to access fresh produce, and to have the health and social impact of this intervention measured and assessed. The Queen of Greens is for everyone, and the data produced will help support our future activity.”
The programme follows the government’s 10 Year Health Plan, which highlighted how location can influence people’s ability to live healthier lives – a key factor in ageing well.
Other projects backed by UK Research and Innovation include public restaurants in Dundee and Nottingham offering universal access to nutritious meals. These pilots will be co-designed with families, drawing on public health nutrition research and lessons from historical public restaurant models.
A project in Glasgow will explore the role of community food markets in neighbourhoods known as ‘food deserts. Researchers will compare one market with added food literacy and arts activities to another without, to measure the effect on food access and engagement.
Schemes in Southampton, the New Forest and the Isle of Wight aim to improve the quality of food available through food pantries by linking suppliers and providers through online platforms. Users will also be asked what other support they’d value, such as cooking sessions or recipe boxes. The findings will help create a toolkit for councils and pantry organisers to monitor food quality and health impacts.
A Wales-led project will assess the content and uptake of free school meals by examining what food is offered, chosen and eaten in school dining halls, and how this compares to nutrition standards. Recommendations will be made to improve both the quality of food and participation rates.
Across England, workshops will be delivered in local authorities with more deprived populations, aiming to develop and implement new policies to reduce food inequality at a local level.
“Everyone should have access to healthy, nutritious food but we know the number of food insecure households across the UK is increasing,” said Professor Alison Park, deputy executive chair of the Economic and Social Research Council, part of UK Research and Innovation.
“These innovative projects from across the UK – from Wales to Dundee, Nottingham to the Isle of Wight – will go a long way in helping us understand how to tackle food inequalities and what interventions really make a difference.”
The research is expected to provide insights into how improved access to fresh food can support healthy ageing, particularly in communities where poor diets often accelerate age-related health problems.