For over a decade, local food banks have helped people in Brighton and Hove put meals on the table through hard times. Originally, these services were designed to support people with basic supplies for only a few weeks whilst awaiting benefits payments or financial advice.
But last year over half of food banks we surveyed estimated their beneficiaries needed help for more than 12 weeks. The Covid-19 pandemic pushed a great number of people into economic crisis for the first time. An increasing proportion of food bank visitors are in work and are still struggling to afford a balanced diet week on week.
Affordable Food Projects (AFPs) aim to give another option to people seeking food support.
What is the difference between a Food Bank and an Affordable Food Project?
Food banks are for people in crisis to access free food for for a limited time. They rely on generous donations from the public and surplus food from supermarkets, which often means they can provide little choice of what goes into their food parcels.
AFPs aim to improve access to fresh, affordable, local food in neighbourhoods where this is harder to access. AFP members pay a small fee to join then can pick and choose the food they need, similar to a market or supermarket but at a greatly reduced price. There’s no limit to how long or how often they can use these projects. Some members go on to take an active role in running and shaping the projects themselves.
Many projects like these exist across the country under different names. You may hear them called a Pantry, Social Supermarket, Community Hub, Community Shop, or Food Club. In October 2020, Brighton & Hove Food Partnership helped to launch seven such projects. The projects are a bit different from each other in what they offer, how much they charge for membership, and how far along they are in development.
They are united in their purpose, to address food poverty and support local health, wellbeing and food confidence through a range of interconnected local activities.
How do Affordable Food Projects work?
AFPs mainly source their food from surplus (food that would otherwise go to waste) through the Surplus Food Network, Fareshare and through other local businesses, then top up their supplies by buying in healthy food. AFPs will still collect donations from the public but do not rely solely on this as it doesn’t provide long term security and allows them to offer more consistent produce to those using their services longer term.
When they first opened some AFPs initially delivered a community veg box, such as Very Local Food Hub service, with scaled pricing. Others allowed members to ‘pay a shop forward’ to gift groceries to someone who can’t afford it right now. AFPs apply for funding and grants to help them cover overheads like rent and wages but the rest of their costs are covered by charging a small amount to their members, at an average weekly fee of £2.79.
Why are Affordable Food Projects important?
AFPs are more than just food shops. They are involved in community building activities, such as food growing, support services & workshops, cooking events, farm visits, local food strategy and engagement activities. These provide an opportunity to build a sense of belonging and connect around food.
On an individual level, being able to choose your goods and making a financial contribution allows AFP members a sense of agency. These are subtle differences, that can have significant psychological benefits such as empowerment and raised self-esteem.
I asked some of the projects what it means to be an affordable food project. Rachel is the project lead from BrightStore which has 4 locations across the city:
“We were a way for the community to come together to share out surplus food, in an equitable and social way. We work in solidarity (although I’m aware that’s not the same for all projects) but BrightStore very much works on the principle that we all support each other. We are also a brilliant way to help the planet by saving waste.”
In summary, AFPs fill a vital role in emergency food networks, addressing food insecurity, poverty, and food waste within their communities. Their work is essential in supporting people to access affordable groceries, while fostering sustainable and inclusive food systems in the city of Brighton and Hove.
