The Vale Food Forward Network has developed a new Collective Framework for Improving Access to Food, bringing local food projects together around a shared vision for a fairer, healthier and more resilient local food system.
The Vale Food Forward Network provides a space for local organisations to share learning, strengthen partnerships and work collectively to improve access to food across the Vale. Bringing together organisations with frontline experience of supporting communities, the network acts as a collective voice and source of expertise, helping to shape discussions and action on food access across the county.
With demand for support remaining high and funding pressures continuing, these organisations have been exploring how they can strengthen their social impact whilst building long-term resilience. In response to these challenges, members have developed a Collective Framework based on the three Good Food Goals of the Vale Food Strategy 2025–2030. The framework reflects the shared priorities and ambitions of local organisations and sets out a collective approach to supporting better access to good food across the Vale, both now and in the future.
The framework sets out shared commitments across three areas:
- Fair and Healthy: Promoting dignity, respect and inclusion; improving access to affordable, nutritious food; and listening to communities to better understand their experiences and needs.
- Circular Food Economy: Supporting a fairer food system, diversifying food sources beyond surplus food redistribution, and making responsible use of resources to maximise lasting social and environmental benefits.
- Community Resilience: Strengthening collaboration between organisations, connecting people with wider support, balancing immediate needs with longer-term food security, and bringing local expertise into wider decision-making.
Together, these commitments recognise that improving access to food is about much more than providing food alone. It means addressing the barriers that prevent people from accessing good food, making the best use of local resources, supporting wellbeing, and creating a food system that benefits communities, local producers and the environment.
To find out more, visit the Vale Food Forward Network webpage here.