Tackling food insecurity and loneliness in Wales this World Food Day

It’s World Food Day on the 16th October, and for many of us food has been a way to connect to loved ones during an unpredictable year – whether we’ve been dropping off food parcels, sharing meals over zoom or finally coming together around a delicious meal after months apart.

To celebrate the incredible power of food to bring people together, The Soil Association is running a new campaign called ‘Cook and Share’, beginning on World Food Day, October 16th. Running for one month, the campaign aims to tackle the increased loneliness and food insecurity that has arisen this year as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

It’s easy to get involved:

1. Sign up for free on the website 2. Cook a meal, snack, anything! 3. Share with your community: in person, online or at a distance

Anyone can take part in Cook and Share month, and hundreds of events are expected to take place across Wales and the rest of the UK. From Cardiff to Caerphilly, people will be cooking and, you guessed it, sharing food in their local communities between 16th October and 16th November 2021. The evidence suggests we are getting lonelier as a nation. The Office of National Statistics has published a report saying that loneliness in adults has increased during the pandemic by almost a third. From October 2020 to February 2021, results from the Opinions and Lifestyle Survey (OPN) showed that 7.2% of the adult population (about 3.7 million adults) felt lonely ‘often’ or ‘always’. This is an increase of 1.1 million people since the first UK lockdown in 2020.

But getting together around good food is a great antidote to that. In a recent survey of Get Together organisers, nearly 90% either agreed or strongly agreed that their activities created new friendships or developed friendships. More than 90% of Get Together organisers also agreed or strongly agreed that these activities supported people’s health and wellbeing.

So why not become part of the Good food movement this autumn, pop your chef hat on and help bring your community together?

This campaign is brought to you by Food for Life Get Togethers (FFLGT). They are part of a bigger movement, led by the Soil Association, to make good food the easy choice for everyone. FFLGT’s vision is a world where people of different ages and backgrounds regularly connect, learn and play a more active role in their local food system. The programme is funded for 4 years by The National Lottery. They have just entered their third year.

There are a range of resources available to help you organise your event online, whether this is your first community cooking event or you’re an old hat. Find recipe inspiration, online cookalongs, checklists and posters to help make your event a success at www.fflgettogethers.org.

Helen Browning, CEO of the Soil Association says:

“We have seen over the past year that feeling connected to others is absolutely essential to good health and wellbeing. Food is one of our best ways to unite across barriers – whether that’s the garden fence, cultural or generational divides.”

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