The Food Conversation is the UK's largest-ever public dialogue about our food system. Since 2023 FFCC has hosted in depth deliberations in 12 parts of the UK and supported over 75 communities to host their own community-led food conversations reaching hundreds of citizens. We have learned an enormous amount about what citizens want, and the evidence continues to grow. FFCC's work continues, supporting citizens to continue these conversations with governments, business and civil society leaders across the UK in order to transform the way food works.

You can also explore more in-depth analysis for each set of deliberations here.

Citizens' calls for action are backed by a new report from economist, Professor Tim Jackson, The False Economy of Big Food.

The report has uncovered that unhealthy food is costing the UK more than £250bn every year. For the first time ever, direct and indirect costs of diet-related ill health have been calculated by combining healthcare costs, social care costs, welfare spending, productivity losses, and the human cost of chronic disease and identifying what proportion relates to food.

Appetite for government intervention

While citizens have deep rooted concerns about the food system, they are inherently solutions-focused in their thinking. The design of The Food Conversation has enabled them to consider many potential ways forward. Throughout the process, citizens have considered a raft of policy solutions that have been proposed previously – from sources such as the National Food Strategy, the United Nations, UKRI funded research, and other charities and NGOs.

Background to the project

Food matters to everyone. It is at the heart of a resilient, thriving economy and healthy, prosperous communities. The UK food industry is worth over £100bn, yet many children go to bed hungry, many farmers are struggling to survive, and the cost of diet-related ill health is spiralling. Globally the way food is produced contributes significantly to the climate and nature crises. Yet, governments have struggled to grasp the nettle on food system policies. Attempts to change anything about the way food works have floundered as policymakers have disagreed about what people want from food.

The Food Conversation aims to change this and provide a well evidenced view of what citizens really think about food – exploring how citizens understand the complexities of the issue and the necessity for trade-offs.

Over 18 months, we set out across the four nations in 2023 and 2024 to understand the public perception of food systems and their appetite for change. We held conversations in Birmingham, Cambridge, Northumberland, West Yorkshire, East Kent, North and South Wales, Cornwall, South London, Northern Ireland, the Lothians, and Caithness, Sutherland, Ross, Orkney and Shetland.

The whole process is designed to be easy to understand and engaging, so that everyone – no matter what their background or interest – can participate. Nonetheless, it is methodologically robust, enabling in-depth conversation and deliberation. To find out more about the process, visit the FAQ page on The Food Conversation website.

Over 75 communities and hundreds more citizens have now hosted their own Food Conversation through a free, online toolkit.