Launch: Final report of the Fabian Commmission on Food and Poverty 28 October 2015

The rise of food bank use in the UK has been a major national issue, featuring prominently during the general election campaign. But a closer look at the relationship between food and poverty shows that charitable food use is just the tip of the iceberg of a much wider set of issues.

In the autumn of 2014, the Fabian Commission on Food and Poverty began an investigation to find out how the food system could work better for everybody, especially those on low incomes. This event marks the publication of the Commission’s final report.

The Commission’s final report sets out principles for a fairer food system and short, medium and long-term actions to ensure that everybody has secure access to nutritious, sustainable, affordable food.

Yvonne Roberts (columnist at the Observer) chaired our discussion of the report’s findings, and was joined by members of the Commission, including Geoff Tansey (Commission chair, curator of the Food Systems Academy and renowned food and agriculture writer), Jeanette Orrey (former school dinner lady who cofounded Food for Life, the inspiration for Jamie Oliver’s school meals campaign), Diana Holland (assistant general secretary of Unite the Union for Transport, Equalities and Food), Dr John Middleton (former vice-president of the UK Faculty of Public Health), Niall Cooper (director of Church Action on Poverty), Tara Garnett (founder of the Food Climate Research Network) and Cameron Tait (secretary of the Commission, author of the report and Senior Researcher at the Fabian Society)