DEVON County Council (DCC) have launched a new two-year project which aims to ease food insecurity in the county.

The Community Food Hubs Programme is funded by a £200,000 grant from DCC Public Health and Communities and is being led by Devon Community Foundation (DCF).

The council’s initiative will support activities including food boxes, affordable food clubs, community larders and breakfast clubs for schoolchildren.

It follows the publication of The Face of Food Insecurity in Devon, commissioned by DCC’s Public Health Team.

It illustrates the chronic and widespread nature of food insecurity in Devon, with 29 per cent of those surveyed admitting that they felt ‘food insecure.’

However it also highlighted the potential benefits of placing food support in community hubs that also offer other related services.

Now the council’s funding will help kick-start five projects in local communities.

These are Project Food in Axminster, Nourishing Dartmoor, Stepping Stones Totnes, Love Food in Exeter, and a new cooking and eating hub at Queen Elizabeth School in Crediton.

They will deliver a variety of initiatives to help alleviate food insecurity, increase positive eating practices and build skills.

These include providing food boxes, frozen meals, affordable food clubs or setting up social supermarkets, community larders, cafés and allotments, ‘cook along’ events, swap shops, foraging walks, breakfast clubs for school children, cooking lessons and online cookery content.

The programme also seeks to better understand the sustainability of food hub projects and their role in connecting communities, particularly families experiencing chronic food insecurity, with other forms of support.

Councillor Simon Clist, DCC cabinet member responsible for communities, said: ‘It’s nothing short of a scandal that so many of our residents are unable to afford the food that they need to ensure that their families stay healthy.

‘And It’s not just affecting one group of people; with food prices steadily rising over the past few years and incomes stagnating, given a particular set of circumstances anyone can find themselves in a position where they are unable to access nutritious food.

‘The problem is endemic and there is no single way to fix this and that’s why the initial research, funding from Devon Public Health and the work of Devon Community Foundation is so vital.

‘Over the coming weeks and months, I look forward to seeing the development of a range of activities and projects in local communities that will better target support at those most in need’.