Sefton Council is encouraging those involved in the City Region’s in the food industry to help tackle food poverty by completing a short survey.

As part of an ambitious plan to create a network of healthy, affordable and accessible local produce a detailed survey of the Liverpool City Region’s food ecosystem is underway.

Growing, making, moving, selling

Individuals and organisations in the Liverpool City Region involved in growing, making, moving, selling, or supporting access to food are being asked to complete the survey at https://forms.gle/kPnSrrPkihB3gPjE9

It take just a few minutes to complete and will help shape a fairer, more connected and sustainable regional food network. The survey’s results will be used to create an interactive digital map of local food production and supply.

End-to-end analysis

The survey is the first by a city region and will be an end-to-end analysis of the production, supply and sale of local produce – from growers and wholesalers to schools and hospitality. 

This work is part of a new initiative to tackle food poverty, improve diets and reduce its carbon footprint. It s the first stage in creating a Liverpool City Region Food Network to increase access to affordable produce. It was launched in response to a major report commissioned by Mayor Steve Rotheram, which has revealed the scale of food poverty.

Report

The report ‘Sustainable and Affordable Food for Liverpool City Region: Recommendations for Change’ was prepared by the VS6 Partnership which represents the city region’s 8,600 voluntary, community, faith and social enterprises.

It found half of England’s 10 most deprived ‘food deserts’ – neighbourhoods of 5,000 to 15,000 people with poor access to affordable and healthy food – are in our City Region.

The study called for a fully collaborative and co-operative approach across the social, public, and private sectors the creation of the interactive digital food map is the first step.

“We need an overall approach”

Cllr Mhairi Doyle Sefton Council’s cabinet member with responsibility for Child Poverty said:

“Sadly, we have seen increasing numbers of people in Sefton and across the country, including working people, having to resort to food banks and pantries.

“Fortunately, we have recently been able to ensure more Sefton school pupils are receiving the free school meals they are eligible for but to end food poverty, we need an overall approach.

“By taking part in this process people in Sefton involved in the food industry can help start this process.” 

Healthier, fairer City Region

Cllr Paula Basnett, Liverpool City Region Cabinet Member for Health and Inequalities, said: “This initiative is a vital step towards building a healthier, fairer City Region. By understanding how food is grown, shared and accessed locally, we can begin to close the gaps that leave too many families struggling. It’s about creating a system where nutritious food is not a privilege, but a basic right—delivered in ways that support our communities and protect our environment.”

The charity Feeding Liverpool has been commissioned to look at relationships within the local food system, including flows of food, funding, and influence, identifying opportunities for development and policy influence, and creating an interactive digital concept map which stakeholders can update.

You can find the short survey here.

Keenan Humble, Director at Feeding Liverpool, said: “By mapping who’s involved and how the system operates, we hope to lay the groundwork for a more joined-up, fair and sustainable approach to food across all six local authority areas.”