The Health and Social Care Committee’s latest report as part of their inquiry on food and weight management has called for stronger government action to improve access to healthy food and address food-related ill health.
Last October, our CEO Corin Bell gave oral evidence to the Committee, sharing how Rose Vouchers do much more than provide fruit and veg. By joining the dots between people, trusted community and healthcare settings and independent retailers, Rose Vouchers open doors to better health, stronger communities and thriving local economies.
The Committee, which includes MPs from across the political spectrum, highlighted the impact of a food environment that pushes people towards foods high in fat, sugar and salt, and set out a range of recommendations to remove the barriers that make it harder to buy and eat healthy food and create healthier communities across England.
Among its recommendations, the Committee called on government to:
Recognise and invest in local food initiatives
The Committee highlighted the important role that community-based projects play in shaping healthy local food environments. The report argues that such approaches should be a core part of efforts to tackle food-related ill health and calls on the Government to provide secure, long-term funding to scale these programmes.
We were delighted that Rose Vouchers were recognised in the report as an example of a community-based solution that improves access to fresh fruit and veg, improving health, whilst also maximising household budgets and boosting local economies.
Maximise the impact of the Healthy Start Scheme
The Committee echoed our recommendations and urged the Government to increase the value of Healthy Start payments in line for food inflation, as well as extending the eligibility of the scheme to households receiving Universal Credit, enabling auto-enrolment and implementing effective ways of encouraging eligible households to apply.
Responding to the report, Corin said:
Everyone in the UK should be able to buy and eat healthy food, close to where they live, and we know there are policy solutions to make this a reality. I’m pleased to see that the Health and Social Care Select Committee have recognised that improving access to healthy food is essential to tackling obesity and food-related ill health.
The fact that someone’s health is directly determined by where they live and how much money they earn is something we should continue to challenge. We must level the playing field, and recognising that access and affordability are barriers to buying and eating healthy food is the first step.
I’m delighted that Rose Vouchers have been included as an example of an effective solution. Every day, I see the difference Rose Vouchers make to people’s health and household budgets, as well as connecting them to community hubs and independent food retailers, and opening the door to transformative wrap-around support.
I often come back to this quote from Kemi, a Rose Voucher participant, who told me, “If you don’t have the money to provide [healthy foods], it’s difficult. Now I know it’s good for me to eat healthy foods every day, and if I don’t have the capacity to get that, it’s very hard for me.”
Now we need long term funding to scale community food projects that work and create healthy food environments where everyone can afford to eat well.
Next steps
The Government has until September 15th to respond to the Committee’s recommendations. In the meantime, we will be working with MPs to highlight the importance of the findings and recommendations to relevant Ministers.