In November 2022, we launched the UK’s first large-scale pilots of ‘Fruit & Veg on Prescription’. We worked closely with GPs and social prescribers at the Bromley by Bow Centre in Tower Hamlets, as well as community health practitioners at The Beacon Project in Lambeth. So far, nearly 200 people facing food poverty and diet-related health issues have been prescribed vouchers to buy fresh fruit and vegetables in their local areas.

The results show the pilots have made a profound impact on reducing dietary and health inequalities. Additionally, they have helped restore community pride and boosted the local food economy. Some key outcomes include:

• 80% of participants now eat five portions of fruit and vegetables a day.
• Nine in ten report improved health and wellbeing.
• Seven in ten have seen significant drops in blood pressure, confirmed by GPs and nurses.
• GP visits have fallen by 40%.
• Since the project began, £222,000 has been invested in the local economy.

Given these successes, we urge the Government to move forward with their commitment to pilot a three-year ‘Community Eatwell’ Programme. This should be based on our Fruit & Veg on Prescription model, as recommended in the 2021 National Food Strategy and promised in the 2022 Levelling Up White Paper.

Read the full report below.