The rise of affordable food clubs…
Food insecurity remains a persistent challenge in the UK, affecting 14% of households as of January 2025i, with families and children particularly vulnerable. The UK Government has made a welcome commitment to end the mass dependence on crisis food parcels. But in lieu of reforms to both the social security system and the labour market, ensuring fewer people are left short of money to buy food and other essentials. What is the answer? Is it Affordable Food Clubs?
The rise of affordable food provision in the UK has been swift, with the first social supermarket believed to have opened in 2013ii. In Cheshire East since 2022 we’ve seen a 100% increase in their number. And with another three due to open before July, the number will rise to 15. By 2023, it was estimated that 5% of the UK population had used a social supermarket in the past yeariii.
But what do we mean by affordable food clubs?
They are a response to food insecurity, providing direct food support in an environment that offers choice and preserves dignity. They take numerous forms, including pop-up groceries in church halls, established social supermarkets in town centres, and mobile grocers operating from converted buses. Across the Borough we have examples of both pop-up pantries and established social supermarkets (with two more to come in Crewe) and by the end of the June we should have a mobile grocery serving Colshaw Farm in Wilmslow, too.
What unites them all is a shared purpose of tackling food insecurity, and three characteristics: people make a financial contribution, for food made available at a low cost, in the form of groceries (rather than pre-prepared meals)iv. Many positioning members as shoppers rather than beneficiaries of charity, thus bridging the gap between food aid and conventional supermarkets. And many have co-located services and activitiesvi such as debt advice, housing support, alongside dignified food support, making a meaningful contribution to the quality of life for people at risk of food insecurity.
Should the Government be encouraged in terms of their pledge to reduce the dependence on emergency food support?
Research by Feeding Britain5 suggest affordable food clubs appear to reduce a reliance on emergency food services, with 47% of the food club members surveyed reporting decreased food bank usage since joining an Affordable Food Club. This reduction in food bank usage was most pronounced among members who shopped weekly. The same research suggests that members who attending Affordable Food Clubs for a longer period were somewhat less likely to report receiving free food from a food bank in the last month. The proportion dropped from 40% among those who had joined an Affordable Food Club within the last six months to 32% for those who had been attending for at least two years.
Despite this positivity, Feeding Britain’s research highlights that food insecurity remains prevalent among Affordable Food Club members, with over three-quarters reporting that they worried about running out of food due to financial constraints. Furthermore, 37% of Affordable Food Club members received free food from a food bank at least once in the previous month, suggesting that many members still find themselves relying on food banks to some degree. This indicates that whilst Affordable Food Clubs play a crucial role in helping members access affordable and nutritious food, they do not universally transition members from crisis situations to food and financial security. Instead, they function as part of a broader support network, complementing rather than replacing other food assistance programmes for some members.
You can read the full report - Feeding Hope: The Impact of Affordable Food Clubs on Nutrition and Wellbeing on the Feeding Britain website.
References:
i The Food Foundation (2025) Round 16. Food Insecurity Tracking. The Food Foundation Available at: https://foodfoundation.org.uk/initiatives/foodinsecurity-tracking#tabs/Round-16.
ii Berri, A. and Toma, B. (2023) Factors Influencing Consumer Use of Social Supermarkets in the UK: A Redistribution Model Providing Low-cost Surplus Food. Cleaner and Responsible Consumption. 10, pp. 1-11.
iii Armstrong, B., King, L., Clifford, R., Jitlal, M., Mears, K., Parnell, C., Mensah, D., Jenkins, M. (2024) Food and You 2: Wave 7 Key Findings. Food Standards Agency. Available at: https://www.food.gov.uk/sites/default/files/media/document/Food%20and% 20You%202-%20Wave%207%20Key%20Findings_0.pdf.
iv Paget A. (2015) Community supermarkets could offer a sustainable solution to food poverty… British Aisles. Demos. Available from: https://demos.co.uk/research/british-aisles/.
v Roussos, K., Schneider, J., Warren, R. and Jennett, J. (2024) The Bringing Community Supermarkets to Essex Programme: A “Social Return on Investment” Approach on Sustainable Community Assets For Social Support and Care. University of Essex
vi Lopez, A., Defeyter, M. A., Stretesky, P., Forsey, A., and Edom-Bray, R. (2024) Feeding Hope: The Impact of Affordable Food Clubs on Nutrition and Wellbeing. Feeding Britain.
