Defining food poverty, establishing its root causes, and seeking sustainable solutions.

On June 23, City Harvest and Pan-Livery taskforce, the Livery Food Initiative hosted a conference ‘The New Normal: Defining Food Poverty’ at Drapers’ Hall. The event united thought-leaders, policymakers, academics and experts in food system and strategy.

This timely and important event brought together thought leaders, policymakers, academics, and industry experts to engage in meaningful discussion about food poverty. Matters discussed included system-wide change and the role of surplus food redistribution in creating lasting impact.

Guest Speakers & Topics Discussed

Rusudan Gongladze, Cranfield University

PhD student at Cranfield University, Rusudan is studying the Surplus Food Redistribution Supply Chain Network in the UK, looking at network-wide relationships, physical and organisational resources, and activities involved in the recovery and redistribution of surplus food from donors to end users.

Global and UK Food Waste Issues:
40% of food globally is wasted, impacting both the environment and food insecurity. In the UK, 10.7 million tonnes of food are wasted annually, while 11% of the population faces food insecurity.

Food Waste Hierarchy:
Prevention is the top priority; redirecting surplus food for human consumption is the next best solution, offering a “win-win” for reducing waste and supporting food security.

Supply Chain Complexity and Challenges:
The process of moving surplus food from donors to recipients is complex, involving many stakeholders, uncertainty, logistical demands, power imbalances, and dependency on donors.

Key Supply Chain Challenges:
Supply-demand mismatch: Often, food quality or nutritional value does not meet needs.
Last-minute donations: Late notice makes logistics and planning difficult.

Resource constraints: Financial, human, and technical limitations impact operations.

Power imbalance: Recipient organisations depend heavily on donors.

Success Factors for Surplus Food Distribution:
Collaboration: Critical between donors, logistics, and recipient organisations.

Planning: Clear processes, advance agreements, and trust are essential.

Management commitment: Organisation leadership plays a central role.

Fairness and open communication: Helps manage power dynamics and optimise outcomes.

Education and training: Increases staff capacity to handle surplus distribution.

Incentives and regulation: Financial incentives (e.g., tax credits in France and Spain) encourage donations and improve the system.

International Examples:
Reference to France’s “God’s Law,” which mandates surplus food donation, sets financial commitments, and introduces quality controls and tax credits to make donations more attractive.

Need for Supply Chain & Network Perspective:
Emphasises analysing the issue with a network lens, mapping actor interactions, activities, and resources, to better understand system dynamics and drive improvement.

Call for Collaboration and Engagement:
The speaker encourages involvement with their research and invites organisations and stakeholders to participate in the project’s network.

Dr Dolly van Tulleken – MRC Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge

Dolly is a policy consultant and Visiting Researcher at Cambridge University’s MRC Epidemiology Unit, where she completed a PhD and postdoctoral research position examining UK government obesity policy. Dolly runs her policy consultancy Dolitics, mainly focused on food and health policy. She co-founded 50:50 Parliament’s cross-party #AskHerToStand campaign, which helps women in the UK get selected and elected. Dolly is also Vice President of ex-offenders employment charity Tempus Novo and an ambassador of military veterans charity Forward Assist.

Positive Approach & Motivation:
Lists four “ingredients for success” (details on the four not enumerated in the excerpt).
Stresses the need for a positive, hope-filled narrative to avoid criticism fatigue and inspire action.

Believes in framing the agenda with benefits—especially to motivate politicians and the public.

Commercial Viability:
Advocates for identifying and promoting commercially viable alternatives in the food system.
Emphasises that reform efforts should support good food businesses and seek positive change, not destroy existing jobs or systems.

Focuses on unlocking the potential for businesses that promote better food systems to thrive.

Judith Batchelar OBE, Hons

President British Nutrition Foundation

A Biochemist, nutritionist, has Honorary Doctorates from Harper Adams University and Jharkhand Rai University, is a Fellow of the Institute of Food Science and Technology (IFST), the Royal Society of Arts and Manufactures (RSA), a liveryman at The Worshipful Company of Butchers, and an Associate at the Royal Agricultural Societies of England.
Today, Judith is Honorary President of the British Nutrition Foundation, Chair of the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Co-Chair of the Eco Working Group that is part of Defra’s Food Data Transparency Partnership, Chair of MicroSalt, and a Non-Executive Director of Monaghan Mushrooms and Daemon. Judith is a Trustee of The Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, The Food Foundation, and an ambassador for the Woodland Trust and Farm Africa.

Key highlights from the talk:

Mismatch in Food Production vs. Needs:
The global food system produces an abundance of items like cereals and certain proteins, but not enough of what people actually need nutritionally (e.g., fruits, vegetables). The world does not produce what it should to meet real dietary needs.

Global Hunger & Malnutrition:
About a billion people face hunger daily, but the bigger issue is moderate to severe hunger—many get enough calories but lack proper nutrition. In the UK, around 6.3% experience this form of food insecurity, which is about twice the European average.

Fragmented but Consolidated Food System:
While 500 million smallholder farmers worldwide supply a significant share of key crops, the industry is dominated by 9–11 large multinational corporations. There’s a ‘missing middle’ in food processing and distribution, making systemic change complicated.

UK Imports and Exports Gap:
The UK imports vast quantities of fresh produce but also exports a lot, creating a persistent gap between what’s consumed and produced domestically. Critical supply chains often depend on small and family-led businesses, especially post-Brexit.

Power of Data and Digital Technologies:
A major solution is harnessing existing data. The UK has large but disconnected pools of food-related data. Projects like the Priority Places Index and data collaborations (e.g., Healthy and Sustainable Places Data Services) offer insights into food access and community vulnerability.

Targeted Policy & Local Intervention:
Policy implementation must be nuanced: every community has a unique mix of social, economic, and cultural factors. Using detailed, local-level data can enable “doing the right things for the right people, at the right place, at the right time” rather than broad, one-size-fits-all policies.

Data Transparency and Food System Reform:
Initiatives like the Food Data Transparency Partnership focus on making health and environmental impact reporting mandatory. However, data sharing and integration—across public and private sectors—are needed to truly transform the system.

Opportunities in Real-Time Data & Digital Tools:
Emerging systems let retailers and restaurants monitor product quality and waste in real time, optimise inventory, and provide better information to consumers. This could be a “game changer,” allowing more effective targeting of food access support and food waste reduction.

Role of Government and Moonshot Collaboration:
Cross-sectoral, long-term collaboration is essential; positive transformation requires efforts that transcend the policies of any single government or administration. Recent public funding (e.g., NHS data) combined with private initiatives could be transformative if used bold and strategically.

Looking Ahead:
Ongoing digital innovation (e.g., detailed food labelling, real-time monitoring) presents an urgent opportunity to make food systems healthier, more transparent, and more equitable—provided data is effectively shared and interventions are locally targeted.