23rd July 2025
Wen welcomes the Government’s Food Strategy, but let’s not re-invent the wheel. Instead, we need to properly invest in local Food Partnerships already doing this work of celebrating, connecting and uplifting community solutions to systemic problems.
The UK Government has unveiled an outline of its new food strategy – a so-called “Good Food Cycle” aiming to create a healthier, more sustainable and affordable food system.
It’s a welcome shift in tone, recognising the deep flaws in our current system from the dominance of junk food and corporate profits to the rise in food insecurity and environmental breakdown. But while the strategy has been well received and talks about “people and place”, it still misses the heart of the issue.
At Wen, we know that food justice is feminist justice. And any real transformation must start by centring care, culture, community and the women who’ve been leading this work for decades.
Because here’s the reality: Everyone deserves access to fresh, healthy and organic food. But for many communities, especially those in low-income or racialised neighbourhoods, that’s still out of reach. Particularly in the ‘food deserts’ of our local communities here in Tower Hamlets.
Healthy food is treated like a luxury. In truth, it’s a basic right, essential to our health, dignity and climate future. And food isn’t just fuel. It’s deeply personal, rooted in culture and identity. Yet many people can’t access ingredients or meals that reflect diverse heritages.
We believe growing food is a radical act of care and resistance and a fair food system must include affordable food reflective of the diverse communities and support communities to grow, cook and share the food that nourishes us in every sense. When women have access to land, they grow more than vegetables – they grow community power, knowledge and resilience. That’s why local growing spaces matter.
These aren’t just plots of land. They are hubs for climate action, food security and collective joy. But too often, they’re overlooked or underfunded.
Sustainable funding for community solutions
The Government’s strategy talks about new outcomes and a better food environment. But we’ve already seen what real change looks like – and it’s coming from the ground up.
Through our Just FACT programme in Tower Hamlets, Wen is working with over 26 grassroots groups to build a community-led, climate-friendly food system. From food co-ops and estate gardens to compost hubs and city farms, women – particularly those who are racialised and marginalised – are leading the way. They’re not waiting for top-down solutions. They’re building the future now. That’s the food cycle we believe in. One rooted in care, equity and climate justice.
Wen also leads Tower Hamlets Food Partnership, networking over 240 members who are all working towards a transformed food system locally – and in this we see an even wider spectrum of groups working hard to create an equitable, nourishing food system that works for people and planet. We are one of 120+ local food partnerships, all working hard to uplift local solutions, often led by women and their communities, addressing their own local food system challenges. Like many other Food Partnerships, we have to constantly seek funding, where is the national plan for funding and investing in place-based food systems thinking?
This statement even says: “One size does not fit all. We need to unlock expertise, energy and experience at a local level to deliver improved outcomes where they are most needed.”
Let’s not re-invent the wheel, but instead properly invest in local Food Partnerships already doing this work of celebrating, connecting and uplifting community solutions to systemic problems.
Real food justice means economic justice
Key to intersectional feminist approach to food justice is a commitment to workers’ rights, to the economic justice for those working in the food industry, and to those experiencing economic injustice across the UK – for this strategy to actually work, the government needs to address these major economic aspects of the food system. Work with workers across the food industry to improve the pay and conditions across the sector – including migrant seasonal agricultural workers, those in factories, those in delivery services, and in retail. Also commit to re-investing in a comprehensive welfare state – without this the government’s supposed commitment to ending ‘mass dependence on emergency food parcels’ will be in vain – it’s about poverty, not about food.
Watching with interest
We’ll watch with interest to see how this strategy translates into food and health policy, which are finally being linked together. But in the meantime, we need sustainable investment in community-led alternatives – not just promises. And we need a food strategy that addresses economic injustice and poverty, and truly reflects the voices and lived experiences of those affected.
It’s time for a Feminist Green New Deal – one that puts care, climate and equity at the heart of our food systems and our future.
Find out more at wen.org.uk and follow @wen_uk on social media to get involved.
