THE positive power of sharing a simple meal together for boosting mental wellbeing, happiness and healthier diets, has been highlighted in new findings from community dining charity FoodCycle.
FoodCycle is a national community dining charity that brings people together to share nourishing good food and conversation, at locations across the country, including in Coventry and Worcester.
Each week local volunteers serve up wholesome community meals made using surplus food that would otherwise have gone to waste, served free to anyone who wants them.
The charity aims to create a cycle of positive change helping to reduce food waste, tackle loneliness and support mental health, while encouraging healthy eating and sustainable living – nourishing communities, plate by plate, chat by chat.
In a national survey of guests attending its community meals around England and Wales, the charity found high levels of food insecurity and loneliness – with 75 per cent skipping meals, 74 per cent feeling lonely, and 67 per cent eating most or all other meals alone.
The results highlight the impact of the current high cost of living, with most respondents simply unable to afford a healthy diet.
Only 15 per cent had £35 or more to spend on food each week, per person in their household – way below the cost of a healthy diet of £52.36 per person, per week (or £7.48 per person, per day).
By contrast FoodCycle found the benefits of sharing weekly community meals went far beyond simply providing access to free food.
Around 92 per cent agreed eating with other people is good for wellbeing and mental health.
FoodCycle CEO Sophie Tebbetts said the survey highlights how community dining can positively benefit people’s health and wellbeing, at a time when 7.5 million people in UK are experiencing food poverty, and less than 1 per cent of the population eats a healthy diet.
Sophie said: “It shows that things are not getting better for people, and the need is quite multi-faceted – a lot of people are struggling with a lot of different things, from the high cost of living to low income, to feeding their families, housing insecurity, loneliness and mental health challenges.
“People are skipping meals, many simply cannot afford to eat healthily, and some are surviving without even basic equipment to cook.
“People come to us from lots of different backgrounds, and facing different challenges, and one clear uniting factor is that sharing community meals is overwhelmingly beneficial.
“It’s clear that action is needed to help people in lots of different ways. Our results demonstrate the need for sustained investment in community third spaces, so projects like our community meals can continue to nourish those who need us.”
Anyone over 18 can register to volunteer with FoodCycle – with roles including cooking, hosting, pot washing and delivering surplus food.
Visit volunteer.foodcycle.org.uk/westmidlands for more information.
