Supporting food access through partnership working - learning from COVID-19

Research into local responses that supported access to food during the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the key role of partnership working across a range of statutory agencies and third sector and community organisations. Where existing partnerships were already in place, these often facilitated a quick and coordinated response. In other areas new partnerships were formed or reinvigorated in direct response to food access issues. More informal collaborative working was also a key feature of responses seen throughout the pandemic.

Although experiences did differ across local areas, those areas that experienced, first hand, the benefits of partnerships hope for continued and strengthened partnership working in the future. This partnership working may become more of a necessity as we transition out of the COVID-19 pandemic into the current cost of living crisis.

This webinar shares experiences of partnership working to support food access during the pandemic and reflects on what can be learned from this time, particularly in the context of the current cost of living crisis.

The 75 min webinar includes:

• Welcome and introduction (University of Sheffield and Sustainable Food Places)
• Evaluation report: The Value of Local Food Partnerships: Covid and beyond (University of West of England)
• ‘On the ground’ experiences of partnership working during the pandemic and beyond (Local food partnerships)
• Food partnerships in the context of the cost of living crisis (Sustainable Food Places)
• Enablers and challenges of partnership working in the current context (Panel discussion)
• Q&A

Recording