Affordable Food Clubs provide local communities with low-cost and nutritious food, enabling people on low incomes to stretch their budgets. Feeding Britain supports a network of 378 Affordable Food Clubs, which include social supermarkets, pantries, larders and food buses. These settings have a collective total membership of over 90,000 households. Unlike foodbanks, which provide crucial emergency help, Affordable Food Clubs offer regular support to members, who are able to access food at low prices, often between one third and half of supermarket prices. In the majority of these settings, Affordable Food Clubs provide far more than just food, through wraparound support and social opportunities they serve as hubs for their local communities.
Growth of Affordable Food Clubs
Feeding Britain’s network of Affordable Food Clubs has grown significantly, from 62 community organisations in 2021 to 378 by 2024. The typical Affordable Food Club has between 50 and 200 members, but the network includes hyper-local and new initiatives, with less than 10 members, and extended cross-county partnerships with upwards of 20,000 members. Many of the Affordable Food Clubs in Feeding Britain’s network have increased in size over the last three years, and their combined total membership is 600% greater than in 2021. This growth is reflective of increasing numbers of people struggling to afford food and other essentials, but also of wider changes to the landscape of affordable food provision in the UK. Data released by the Food Standards Agency suggests that Affordable Food Club usage in the UK has, for the first time, surpassed that of food bank usage, reflecting a growing trend towards alternative methods of accessing essential food supplies among UK residents, and a move towards contribution-based models by food providers.
“I like the supermarket because you can pick and choose things. You can try different things that are a bit different to the norm when there are things in the shop I haven’t tried before. I’ve managed to build up a bit of a store now so I have full cupboards with different things I can choose from and it will last me for a few weeks. I’ve bought a new coat for winter already so I’m going to leave the savings in credit union for six months and see what I’ve got”
Member of an Affordable Food Club in West Yorkshire
Member Savings
Approximately 40,000 people attend an Affordable Food Club supported by Feeding Britain each week, spending an average of £6 on each visit. Data collected by staff and volunteers suggests that the average value of these groceries stands at £22, equating to member savings of approximately £16 per visit. Collectively, this represents savings of millions of pounds every year for members, at a time when many people struggle to meet the costs of living. Affordable Food Clubs’ connections with other local organisations, such as welfare rights advice centres, Credit Unions and community groups, ensure that members also benefit from increased access to services and support to move beyond crisis and towards food security.
The post Affordable Food Clubs Impact Report (April 2024) first appeared on Feeding Britain.
The post Affordable Food Clubs Impact Report (April 2024) appeared first on Feeding Britain.
