£10m will support 45 local authorities with the highest levels of deprivation and childhood obesity. What does it mean for the food system?
Where you live shapes how long, and how well, you live.
ONS data shows that outcomes are far from equitable. The most deprived groups spend an additional 12.2 years in poor health and die significantly earlier, on average, than the least deprived.
It starts in childhood. Obesity is more common in deprived areas, and the gap is starkest when children leave primary school. 29% of Year 6 children in the most deprived areas were living with obesity, compared with 14% in the least deprived. That is more than double and points to a worrying future trajectory, as obese children are more likely to remain obese as they grow older. For more information, check out IGD's The obesity crisis report.
This is the context for the government’s recent announcement of Good Food Neighbourhoods.
Good Food Neighbourhoods on the government agenda
Good Food Neighbourhoods didn’t come out of the blue. Reducing inequalities sits across several strands of government food and health policy, and is an outcome of the government’s Good Food Cycle. It also has a significant mention in the governments 10 Year Health Plan for England and is a key focus for the Food Strategy Advisory Board (FSAB).
The Governments Good Food Cycle identified ten priority outcomes needed to build a thriving food sector while tackling challenges from rising obesity rates to climate change impacts on production. Within its ‘Vibrant food cultures’ area, the proposal is to coordinate existing and new activities in Good Food Neighbourhood areas. Local plans would reflect local circumstances. Government, local partners, charities and industry would work together to identify areas, map initiatives that can be scaled and evaluate outcomes.
Outside government, the pressure has been building. The Food Foundation, with more than 100 supermarkets, food businesses, investors, NGOs and academics, has called for a Good Food Bill. The aim is a long-term statutory framework that makes affordable, nutritious and sustainably produced food the most accessible choice.
The common thread is a shift from ambition to action.
The announcement: when, why and how
When: On 30 September 2026, the government announced almost £10 million of funding for Good Food Neighbourhoods.
Why: The 45 authorities (or Good Food Neighbourhoods) were identified as having the greatest levels of deprivation and childhood obesity. The government also pointed to food insecurity: 9% of people lived in food-insecure households in 2024/25. Household food insecurity is defined if a household cannot (or are uncertain about whether they can) acquire “an adequate quality or sufficient quantity of food in socially acceptable ways.
How: The funding is split across 45 local authorities, each receiving £222,000. They can use it to develop solutions that meet local needs. Examples include community food shops, mobile greengrocers, lunch clubs, community kitchens, and cooking and nutrition programmes. It can also help local authorities build their capacity to plan for and meet local food needs. Alongside this, the programme will work with businesses, charities and philanthropy to build on existing community projects and bring additional funding into local areas.
IGD opinion
Where you live should not determine whether you can afford, access or enjoy good food. Good Food Neighbourhoods set out to change that and the announcement is thoroughly welcomed by IGD.
The challenge is multifaceted. It's bigger than food availability. It is about whether people can reliably access affordable food that supports their health, and whether the places they live make that easier or harder. Those are food system questions. They need system responses, not more pressure on individual choices.
Local flexibility is a strength, but it must be matched by the ability to identify what works and scale it. That is where industry and civil society come in. The best outcomes are unlikely to come from government, business, charities or communities acting alone. They come when national ambition meets local understanding and practical support. Examples already exist; Felix and Alliance Food Sourcing show what is possible when charities and the food industry combine capabilities to tackle food insecurity at scale. The opportunity now is to move from individual initiatives to large scale change.
How do we make good food accessible to everybody, regardless of where they live? Good Food Neighbourhoods gives us the chance to start answering that in the communities that need it most. It also provides an opportunity to learn, measure and grow, with the ability to share the learnings from how these funds are applied to all relevant areas in need, even if they have not been outlined as a Good Food Neighbourhood.
The 45 Good Food Neighbourhoods
Ashfield District Council
London Borough of Barking and Dagenham Council
Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council
Bassetlaw District Council
Birmingham City Council
Blackpool Council
Bolsover District Council
Boston Borough Council
Burnley Borough Council
City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council
City of Doncaster Council
Enfield London Borough Council
Fenland District Council
Gloucester City Council
Great Yarmouth Borough Council
Royal Borough of Greenwich
Halton Borough Council
Harlow Council
Hartlepool Borough Council
Hull City Council
Knowsley Council
City of Lincoln Council
Liverpool City Council
Luton Borough Council
Manchester City Council
Mansfield District Council
Middlesbrough Council
Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council
Newham Council
North East Lincolnshire Council
North Lincolnshire Council
Nottingham City Council
Pendle Borough Council
Peterborough City Council
Rossendale Borough Council
Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council
Salford City Council
Sandwell Council
South Tyneside Council
Sunderland City Council
Walsall Council
Wolverhampton City Council
Stoke-on-Trent Council
Slough Borough Council
South Holland District Council