Professor Ben Lowe from Kent Business School is contributing to a major UKRI-funded research project aimed at tackling food inequality across the UK. The Food Systems Equality (FoodSEqual) project brings together researchers, communities, businesses, and policymakers to improve food access and agency for people in low-income, culturally diverse neighbourhoods.
Around 22% of people in the UK are currently living in food poverty. For many, this means limited ability to choose or plan meals, with reliance on food banks and other stopgap solutions that don’t address long-term food security. FoodSEqual seeks to challenge this by co-creating new food products and systems with local communities — ensuring they are healthy, sustainable, and reflect cultural preferences.
The University of Kent is working alongside lead institution the University of Reading, as well as researchers from the Universities of Sussex, Cranfield and Plymouth. Professor Lowe’s role in the project is to explore how pricing strategies can support accessibility and fairness, while also sustaining viable business models for new community-based food products.
This collaborative initiative aims to create a blueprint for inclusive food systems—ones that give everyone a say in what they eat, how it’s made, and where it comes from.
To find out more about the project, visit FoodSEqual’s website.