23-year-old Bucks woman helps produce 'shocking' report youth food access

Becca Woolford has helped to co-produce the first major publication from Co-op and Barnardo’s, titled ‘A Recipe for Success: How Children and Young People Want to Access Food in Their Communities’, published 22nd September. The report presents urgent recommendations for policymakers, local authorities, and retailers to help ensure that young people get the food they need, when they need it.

More than 45,000 young people aged 9-25 were consulted for the report, which reveals that almost 1 in 4 secondary- and college-aged students find it hard to access healthy food choices in their community, as cost of living challenges impact their traditional routes to food such as home or school.

“It was really eye-opening listening to young people,” said Becca, who helped run groups for 10-25-year-olds in Plymouth and Ely in June 2024. “They were so open with their experiences – it was quite shocking to hear.”

Becca is a member of the Youth Advisory Group for an ambitious partnership between Co-op and Barnardo’s, which was established in 2023 after research found that just 62% of young people feel positive about their future.

“The cost-of-living crisis has had a massive impact on young people,” said Becca. “We’re still dealing with the impact of Covid, too. It was sad to hear some young people talking about having abandoned their own dreams or aspirations to make sure that they can help put food on the table for their families. That’s just not something a young person should have to think about.”

Becca has first-hand experience of the importance of mental wellbeing support, having received hospital treatment for her mental health throughout 2022 and 2023. She spoke about how the ‘stigma’ of using food provision services can be challenging for some young people.

She said: “Working on this report proved how food access differs massively around the country. For example, summer schemes that provide food for teenagers during school holidays sometimes have divisions between who pays to attend and who doesn’t. This just makes the stigma of using these services worse.”

Co-op and Barnardo’s are raising £5m to support positive futures for 750,000 young people through online advice and information, as well as delivering in-depth support in the communities that need it most.

Rebecca Birkbeck, Director of Community & Membership Participation at Co-op, said: “At Co-op, we believe that young people’s voices must be at the heart of shaping the solutions to the challenges they face. This is something our Co-op member-owners care about and co-operating to fix it is crucial. Together with Barnardo’s, we’re committed to raising £5m to support positive futures for 750,000 young people across the UK and securing access to food and learning how to cook it is a key issue which has come up again and again.”

The report outlines six key recommendations for policymakers, local authorities, and retailers to help overcome these challenges – including establishing local food partnerships, expanding retail discount schemes to young people, and addressing holiday hunger when the Government’s HAF scheme ends in March 2025.

Becca will attend the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool on 23 September alongside representatives from Co-op and Barnardo’s, including CEOs Lynn Perry and Shirine Khoury-Haq.

“Our biggest hope is just to be listened to,” said Becca. “We know that times are hard and that not everything we’ve suggested will be possible, but we want to be heard - we want politicians to engage with us. Even if only one of the things we’ve recommended gets considered, that will be a huge step forward.”

To learn more about the partnership, please visit www.coop.co.uk/SupportYoungPeople.