cheryl
Administrator
Staff member
Social eating: inside the supermarket surplus initiatives that could change the way we eat - The Conversation
Eating together is an important way of fostering social connections. In recent years, we have been researching, and working with, the social eating movement: community-based food projects that use surplus food from supermarkets to create affordable meal services and provide spaces in which to eat them.
In locations like Nottingham and Sheffield, social eating initiatives have emerged to counter isolation and food insecurity and are used by a variety of customers from students to families and elders who pay between £2 and £3.50 for a two or three-course meal.
However, the coronavirus lockdown has had a significant impact, restricting people’s ability to meet in groups. Individuals have reported that their experiences of loneliness and social isolation have been exacerbated by the lockdown.
Eating together is an important way of fostering social connections. In recent years, we have been researching, and working with, the social eating movement: community-based food projects that use surplus food from supermarkets to create affordable meal services and provide spaces in which to eat them.
In locations like Nottingham and Sheffield, social eating initiatives have emerged to counter isolation and food insecurity and are used by a variety of customers from students to families and elders who pay between £2 and £3.50 for a two or three-course meal.
However, the coronavirus lockdown has had a significant impact, restricting people’s ability to meet in groups. Individuals have reported that their experiences of loneliness and social isolation have been exacerbated by the lockdown.