For decades, meaningful change in Britain’s food system has been blocked by a persistent narrative: the public wants cheap food above all else, it rejects ‘nanny state’ government interference in their food choices, and the market will solve any problems.

The Food Conversation set out to test these assumption by asking a fundamental question: What do people really want from food?

It did this through two complementary approaches. At the core is a methodologically robust deliberative dialogue involving 345 citizens from across the UK, selected through sortition (a random lottery-style approach). In parallel, a food conversation toolkit, created using resources from the deliberations, has enabled thousands more to participate in more than 70 community-led conversations.

A key insight emerges from both streams: food is a connecting, not a polarising subject. There is consensus from citizens across the country that there is a need for stronger government intervention to create a fairer food system. Their calls to action are summarised in the Citizen Manifesto to Fix Food, published in March 205.

The message from The Food Conversation is clear: the public wants a food system that works for everyone – families, farmers, communities and the planet.