Food plays such a huge role in most cultures across the world, yet we seldom think about the journey our food has taken before it reaches our plate. We surprisingly know little about where it is grown, how it is produced, what goes into it, or how our everyday choices influence our own health, the communities we live in, and the environment.

In many ways, we have become disconnected from food.

With modern food systems taking over, food today is more accessible, diverse, and convenient. Many organisations in the UK work tirelessly to improve access to healthy foods including government initiatives such as Healthy Start, school food standards, and public health campaigns, as well as charities including The Food Foundation, School Food Matters,  WRAP and, of course, Food etc. These organisations are driving evidence-based action on food access, affordability, school meals, and food waste reduction.

Despite such important developments, our connection with food itself has been lost.

For many children today, food is more likely to be encountered in supermarkets and packaged products rather than through direct experiences of growing, harvesting, or preparing it. Neatly packaged food, ready-to-eat meals, and sophisticated food marketing have reduced children and families engaging with food preparation and understanding where it comes from. This is not a criticism for retail or families. With rising food costs, busy schedules, and complex food environments, these convenient food options enable individuals and families to juggle numerous responsibilities.

But, why care about where food comes from?

Understanding the journey of food from farm to fork includes learning about how food is grown, how to choose ingredients, hot to prepare meals, how to store food correctly, and how to make the most of what we buy. Knowing this helps people make more informed choices in everyday life. It builds an appreciation of the time, resources, and people involved in producing food, making it less likely to be wasted. Learning about the food journey also develops the practical skills, awareness, and confidence needed to navigate the complex food environment that we live in.

This broader understanding is often referred to as food literacy. It appreciates the food journey from farm-to-table while appreciating the cultural, social, and environmental value of food. The WRAP’s latest Household Food Management Survey found that households with lower confidence in estimating how much food to buy were more likely to report wasting food, demonstrating that practical food management skills have implications beyond nutrition alone.

This is where community organisations can make a meaningful difference.

At Food etc, food education is not limited to recipes or demonstrations. We create opportunities for families, children, and community members to explore where food comes from, prepare it together, and develop practical skills that can be used long after a workshop has finished. Bringing together people from different generations and backgrounds not only promotes confidence building in the kitchen, but also enables them to share cultures, traditions, and experiences through food.

Perhaps this is one of the most overlooked aspects of food education. It is not simply about changing what people eat today. It is about helping people develop a lasting, positive relationship with food, one built on curiosity, confidence, and understanding.

As the UK continues to address food insecurity, diet-related diseases, and environmental sustainability, reconnecting people with food should be seen as part of the solution. Knowledge alone rarely changes behaviour. But when people can grow, prepare, share, and enjoy food together, they are more likely to value it, waste less of it, and feel confident in making healthier choices.

From farm to fork, every stage of the food journey tells a story. Helping people understand that journey may be one of the most valuable investments we can make, not only for healthier diets, but for healthier communities, and a more sustainable future.

If you would like to create an impact or collaborate with us, please check out these links and reach out to us!

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Author: Divya Patel, PhD

Conversations about improving diets for adults and children have been brewing for a while in different parts of world. Often, we tend to discuss food prices, obesity, food insecurity, access to fresh fruit and vegetables. While these are urgent issues to address, there is one question that rarely gets asked.

Do people have the skills, confidence, and know-how to make the most of the food available to them?

Food education has long been seen as something premium but not crucial. Given the mounting pressure on the NHS from metabolic diseases, especially those that are associated with poor diets, with concurrent, relentless squeeze on household budgets, food education needs to be viewed from a different lens. It is not just a health intervention. It sits at the intersection of public health, food insecurity, finances, sustainability, and health inequalities.

A 2025 report by Frontier Economics, commissioned by Nesta, showed that obesity and overweight alone costs the UK about £126 billion each year, including NHS spending nearly £12 billion each year. Meanwhile, food insecurity is still a brutal reality for approximately 11% of households and those with children being disproportionately affected (15%). These numbers are alarming to say the least.

Charities like Food etc and School Food Matters, schools, healthcare providers, and community organisations are already making efforts to address this through free school meals, innovative school programmes, and public health campaigns. However, access to food is only part of the problem. The other part is knowledge to give people the ability to use food well.

Food education covers meal planning, budgeting, food storage, reading nutrition labels, reducing waste, and cooking efficiently with available ingredients. For vulnerable groups, these skills can directly help people stretch a tight budget, reduce the temptation to buy convenience options, and build genuine confidence in the kitchen. Food and cooking education can be a practical preventative strategy to reduce the risk of diseases and overconsumption of ultra-processed foods, offer social experiences, and encourage a wide range of people to continue food practices that are environmentally sustainable.

We’ve established that food education has value, so can we afford to keep side lining it?

The benefits stretch further than creating a difference at individual and household level. Food waste is a persistent drain on finances. A recent survey from WRAP suggests that while self-reported household food waste has reduced from 21% to 19%), the proportion of high food wasters remains unchanged at 27%. The 2025 WRAP campaign further showed a stark picture that by the end of that year, an average family of four would have wasted food worth £1000, money that cannot be spared for many households.

For policymakers and funders, this points to an efficient and timely opportunity. Investing in food education cuts across several problems at once. Stronger food literacy can support healthy eating, reduce avoidable waste, build confidence around cooking, and help people do more with less. That is a rare thing in tackling public health problems.

None of this indicates that food education is the ultimate solution.

It cannot end food insecurity, dismantle poverty, or undo structural barriers on its own. But, when it is placed alongside broader efforts to improve food access and health inequalities, it can play role in achieving lifelong benefits. Besides, food education is one of the fewer solutions that can be naturally passed on, therefore, improving the lives of future generations, something that governments and professionals across the world are working hard to achieve.

With rapidly rising healthcare costs and the UK prioritising food provision and quality, the case for food education is not sentimental but straightforward. The question is simply whether we are willing to support and take it seriously.

It’s the focus of everything we do at Food etc so if you agree that it is fundamental to improving diets, lives, please consider supporting our work. There are various ways that companies can help. Or if you are an individual who would like to donate whether it’s a one off or regularly and it’s a little or a lot it all helps

Author: Divya Patel, PhD

Academic Divya Patel took a deep dive into a range of detailed reports to look at how childhood eating habits inform their future selves.

Food habits formed during childhood don’t just shape what they eat when they are young, it  also shapes their food habits and weight-related outcomes during early adulthood^1,2.

For households with children, everyday food choices are driven by multiple factors including time constraints, food costs, preferences, and other competing priorities. Despite these factors, homes remain one of the most important places for young children to learn about food. Homes are where children form early likes and dislikes, routines and structures, and attitudes around meals.

Research shows that children’s eating behaviours are strongly influenced by what they are exposed to at home³. Parents and caregivers act as role models, not only through the meals and snacks they serve to children, but also through parents’ own attitudes, beliefs, and practices towards cooking and mealtimes⁴. Simple strategies such as repeated exposure to different foods, interactive mealtimes, and involving children in meal preparation are beneficial in establishing healthy relationships with food that can have a lasting impact.

While this sounds ideal, implementing and sustaining these activities is not always easy for many families who balance busy schedules and time. These barriers often lead to families making convenience-oriented food choices, including reliance on ready-to-eat options that are often ultra-processed and nutrient-poor⁵. Even if parents want to make healthy choices for their children, they may lack the confidence and skills required to prepare meals from scratch, particularly when budgets are tight and involve children. Here is what one of the parents who participated in our family cooking programme shared-

“It was hard for my son to get involved because he disliked having messy/sticky fingers, so I was really shocked when he got involved [in Food etc sessions]. He has helped cook a lot more and will now get his hands involved. My boys tried new things they wouldn’t try at home. And they are now asking to help more.”

Helping families cook together is more than just a fun activity. It’s a way to connect, learn, and be creative. At Food etc, family engagement is central to our approach. Our cooking sessions are hands-on. Parents and children are supported to learn and cook together in a safe environment.

These sessions focus not only on recipes, but also on building confidence, social skills, and practical food skills, making healthy eating feel achievable within everyday life. We teach families to build food and cooking skills that feel doable and sustainable. We integrate age-appropriate tasks to involve children such as chopping vegetables, mixing ingredients, and assembling a simple dish. These tasks are easier to implement for parents, and they increase confidence, curiosity, and willingness to try new foods in children. Here’s what our parents share about their experience-

“This 6-week course has been wonderful. Me and my girls have enjoyed learning how to make things from scratch, spending time together and how to safely chop veg/fruit etc. It has encouraged me and my little family to try new foods and use fresh ingredients. We will miss coming to the cooking group, it has been fun. Thank you!”

“My daughter loved this cooking experience so much that she helps us cook now and doesn’t say not to trying new things. It’s not just for children it helps us parents try new things that we would have never tried before.”

Clearly, these family cooking experiences offer more value than a social hour. In a time when many households are facing multi-faceted challenges to eat healthy, positive experiences around food as a family show immense potential to ensure a long-term healthy diet, health, and well-being.

If you would like to create an impact or collaborate with us, please check out these links and reach out to us!

Donate to Food etc

Volunteer with us

Other ways to support us

References

1. Dubois L, Bédard B, Goulet D, Prud’homme D, Tremblay RE, Boivin M. Food patterns and body weight in young adulthood and associations with food consumption throughout childhood: findings from a birth-cohort study. British Journal of Nutrition. 2026;135(4):426-434. doi:10.1017/S0007114525106065
2. Braune T, Livingstone KM, Adams J, Winpenny EM. Development of inequalities in fruit and vegetable intake through early adulthood: insights from household panel surveys in the United Kingdom and Australia. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2025;79(8):793-801. doi:10.1038/s41430-025-01609-x
3. Kininmonth AR, Smith AD, Llewellyn CH, Dye L, Lawton CL, Fildes A. The relationship between the home environment and child adiposity: a systematic review. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2021;18(1):4. doi:10.1186/s12966-020-01073-9
4. Mahmood L, Flores-Barrantes P, Moreno LA, Manios Y, Gonzalez-Gil EM. The Influence of Parental Dietary Behaviors and Practices on Children’s Eating Habits. Nutrients. 2021;13(4):1138. doi:10.3390/nu13041138
5. Ravikumar D, Spyreli E, Woodside J, McKinley M, Kelly C. Parental perceptions of the food environment and their influence on food decisions among low-income families: a rapid review of qualitative evidence. BMC Public Health. 2022;22(1):9. doi:10.1186/s12889-021-12414-z

Food insecurity isn’t just about having enough food, what really matters is the quality of what families can actually buy and eat.

The Food Foundation report presents a stark picture: in 2025, 11% of UK households, and 15% of families with children (almost 1 in 7), experienced food insecurity in 2025. Of the food-insecure households, money worries hit these families hard, with 64% cutting back on fruit and 50% on vegetables because they just couldn’t afford them.

When healthy foods are out of reach, families end up relying more on cheaper, convenient options, foods that are often of low nutritional quality. Meanwhile, negative health impacts of Ultra-processed foods are receiving consistent attention. A 2024 review published in the BMJ found that higher consumption of ultra-processed foods was linked to poorer health, particularly heart issues, weight gain, and well-being. It’s not fair to say that families are making bad choices as they do not occur in isolation. In fact, it reflects the reality of a food environment shaped by high food costs, convenience, time constraints, and marketing.

For children, the impact is even more serious and potentially long-lasting. The latest National Child Measurement Programme for England 2024/2025 report found that 10.5% of children in reception years and 22.2% of children in year 6 were living with obesity. Children living in the most deprived areas were twice as likely to be living with obesity compared to those living in least-deprived areas. These numbers have a story.

Families aren’t just missing information or resources to eat healthy; they’re navigating through a maze of structural and social barriers that make healthy eating harder to achieve and maintain.

A further issue that barely gets talked about is “food skills”, the ability to plan meals, prepare ingredients and cook nourishing meals from scratch. Without these skills, healthy eating stays out of reach for vulnerable individuals and families. It’s not just about knowing what’s good for you – it’s about having the time, skills, knowledge, and practical ability to turn ingredients into meals that are affordable, tasty, and quick enough for everyday family life.

Food insecurity is complex, but there’s hope. Building food literacy and cooking confidence can make a real difference. When people are confident and skilled to cook from scratch, adapt recipes, use local ingredients, and make meals go further, they are better placed to eat healthier and develop food habits that last.

That’s where food education steps in.

At Food etc., we see it all the time – hands-on learning can help turn knowledge into action. Through community cooking workshops and family-focused sessions, parents and children get to cook together. But the real magic happens beyond recipes. These sessions help them:

• feel more ready and confident to cook nourishing meals at home, even when time and money are tight
• discover the “fun” side of cooking with family, which brings everyone closer and boosts well-being
• build lasting, healthy relationships with food, lowering their chances of health issues linked to poor diets

Food education isn’t a “nice extra”. It sits right in the middle of science, health, education, and community well-being. It helps families eat better, become more independent, and sustain themselves when things get tough. If we want healthier futures for children and families, food skills should be at the centre of our solutions. Food education gives families a practical “toolkit” to make better choices – today and in the years ahead.

To find out more about our programmes, follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, or Facebook @foodetc Bedford.

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Author: Divya Patel, PhD

Date: March 31 2026

In April 2022, we worked with Bedford Women’s Centre where we ran a cooking workshop and baked tuna patties. Following on from this event, we wanted to talk about the benefits of eating tuna. Tuna is packed with goodness. It is naturally high in omega 3 fatty acids, which is thought to help lower cholesterol in the body, boost brain function and improve eye health. Tuna is also high in protein and vitamin B12.

At Food etc we create innovative and affordable meals, as well as the opportunity to have a lovely natter, which is just as important as the cooking!

You can find our tuna patties recipe here.

Please get in touch if your organisation or clients would benefit from the cookery workshops we provide. We encourage participants to gain more confidence with cooking and give insights about meal nutrition.