Food Plymouth

Food Plymouth is the city’s recognised sustainable local food partnership, providing a central connecting hub for all food-related matters in and around the ocean city of Plymouth.

Our pioneering cross-sector partnership and network, founded in 2010 and facilitated by Food Plymouth CIC, comprises a diverse mix of agencies, organisations, businesses, community groups and individual citizens. Food Plymouth currently comprises around 125 partners, all working together to actively promote and lobby for healthy, sustainable and affordable food as a driver for positive change. Central to this is an emphasis on shared values and collective impact.

What we do

Among the first cities in the UK to achieve a Bronze award in 2015, we are currently working towards Silver award status, with new Sustainable Food Places (SFP) coordinator Sophie Paterson appointed in November 2020.

In common with our fellow Sustainable Food Places, we deliver positive impacts in the three domains of sustainable development, namely social, environmental and economic, through addressing the six key issues of the SFP framework.

Much of our recent work in the light of the COVID-19 pandemic has focused on emergency food provision for those experiencing food insecurity and food poverty, led by our newly-appointed food aid coordinator Ayshea Cross. An online Food Access Guide for Plymouth has been created in partnership with the Food Equality Project, which maps and supports navigation through the emergency food aid available in the city. It also signposts to other support for a range of issues made worse by the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns, including domestic abuse, debt and mental health.

Other current and upcoming projects include:

  • Generation Covid, a project funded by Unicef and Food Power which will provide 120 Plymouth families with healthy and nutritious food packs in December and February

  • Generous Earth, a community composting pilot project which has partial funding through the Green Minds scheme

  • Sustenance Partnership, a Research & Development project funded by Innovate UK aiming to develop and try out new ideas to strengthen the local food economy in and around Plymouth – connecting producers, distributors and anyone who eats – for the good of all

  • Supporting the Jabulani international food court initiative

  • Aiding Plymouth’s Fairtrade City endeavours

And sustaining our long-standing collaborations, including:

  • Plymouth Food Equality project

  • Thrive Plymouth

  • Co-operative Councils Innovation Network

  • All Ways Apples festival and fringe

  • Growing Community Abundance

We also support a wide range of initiatives led by our partner organisations across the city and beyond.


Areas of expertise

Partnership & Collaboration

Awareness and Engagement

Tackling Food Poverty

Promoting Healthy Eating

Supporting Good Food Business

Climate & Nature Friendly Food