Take local action to change the food system

Share your experiences from the Food Conversation with others to spread the word – or host your own conversation using our Food Conversation toolkit. 

There are other ways to make your voice heard or to get involved in local food community action.  

Write to or meet your MP and prospective MPs to ask about their party’s plans for improving the food system.  Find a template letter here and guidance for writing to your MP below.

Contact your local councillor to find out about your local authority’s efforts to create a healthier, sustainable food environment and support local food growing.  

Ask to have lunch at your child’s school. 

Find out about local groups in your area. There is a huge nationwide network of around 100 Sustainable Places.  If you can’t find a Sustainable Food Place group nearby, look for other local food projects in your neighbourhood.  

Get involved in a local community growing project. Both Incredible Edible and Social Farms and Gardens have a national network of groups growing and celebrating food.   

Volunteer at a food bank, food pantry or community kitchen. Find a local food bank or membership store through the Trussell Trust or the Local Pantry Network.  There are also community groups that provide hot meals for vulnerable people like Food Cycle.

Guidance on contacting your MP

You can find your local MP and their contact details using this website.  

We recommend sending an email to your MP to begin with. Their email address can be found on the Parliament website, but some MPs will also have a constituency email address which you can use to contact them.  

Using social media

You can also contact an MP through social media. Check you are addressing a verified account and not someone impersonating them.

Tips

Include your address and postcode so that your MP knows you are a constituent is important in getting a response from your elected representative. 

Use your own words where suggested so the MP hears your concerns and local perspective on the issues around food.  

Make sure to tell them what you want them to do. The Food Conversation template email contains a clear request for a meeting to brief the MP on the project, so it’s important that this request in included.  

If you don’t hear back from your MP you could send another email to follow up, contact them on social media