Health inequalities in the food system

Overview

Summary

Apply for funding to research dietary health inequalities in the UK food system, taking a food systems approach to design and deliver place-based, solution focused interventions.

You must be based at a UK research organisation eligible for Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) funding, who will administer the funding on behalf of UKRI.

Your project must be interdisciplinary and collaborate with at least one stakeholder organisation (government, business or the third sector).

The full economic cost (FEC) of your project can be up to £1,875,000. BBSRC will fund 80% of the FEC.

The funding is available for three-year projects.

Eligibility

Before applying for funding, check the Eligibility of your organisation.

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) has introduced new role types for funding opportunities being run on the new UKRI Funding Service.

For full details, visit Eligibility as an individual.

Who is eligible to apply

The project lead must be based at a UK research organisation eligible for BBSRC funding, an apply.

For this funding opportunity, you may apply only once as a project lead but may appear as a project co-lead on other applications, preferably not more than two in total (one as project lead and one as project co-lead).

There is no limit to the number of project co-leads per application, but it must be clear from the application what unique contribution each co-lead will make to the success of the proposed project. Project co-lead(s) must be based at a UK research organisation eligible for BBSRC funding.

If sub-contracting to a third sector organisation, this can be applied for at 100% FEC.

Aim

The aim of this opportunity is to foster a better understanding of the causes of dietary health inequalities in the UK food system and deliver place-based, solution-focused interventions to improve equity and health.

Background

Statistics show:

• a man in one of the 10% most affluent postcodes will live, on average, 9.5 years longer than his peer living in one of the least affluent postcodes
• women in the most deprived areas have a shorter life expectancy of 7.7 years than women in more affluent areas
• there is a gap of 19 years for healthy life expectancy between the lowest and highest socioeconomic groups

For the purpose of this opportunity, food insecurity is described as when a household’s ability to acquire adequate quality or sufficient quantity of food in socially acceptable ways at all times cannot be guaranteed.

Households in the most deprived areas are often situated in so-called ‘food swamps’ where the availability of fast-food outlets convenience stores that sell foods that are high in fat, sugar and salt, are much greater than in more affluent postcodes. Conversely, ‘food deserts’ also create health inequalities within localities. A food desert can be described as an impoverished area where residents lack access to healthy foods. In the UK approximately 1.2 million people are living in food deserts. For many food insecure households, the food system does not allow for consistent access to affordable, sustainable, safe, and healthy food.

Themes

There are two themes in this opportunity, and it is expected that proposals will address both through a place-based approach. These themes are:

• understanding the causes of dietary health inequalities in the UK food system
• deployable interventions to achieve equitable and healthy consumption and a socially just UK food system

(See guidance for further details)

Projects can be at regional or local level and focused on any deprived community being impacted by health inequalities (such as, urban, rural, or demographic groups). The intervention can be in any part of the food system but must be developed in the context of other parts of the system to avoid unintended consequences. For example, all interventions must be environmentally sustainable.

Projects funded under this opportunity must:

• take a food systems approach and design and deliver place-based, solution focused interventions to reduce dietary health inequalities in the UK food system
• provide clear pathways to impact at local and/or regional levels, working with key decision-makers, and provide an indication of how findings and best practice will be shared across different areas
• provide a clear indication of the outcomes you expect to see, and how you will evaluate and measure the success of the intervention
• be interdisciplinary with expertise from at least two disciplines. Examples of possible disciplines include, but are not limited to, the biological sciences, engineering and physical sciences, environmental sciences, economic and social sciences and the arts and humanities
• address both themes
• collaborate with at least one stakeholder organisation (government, business or the third sector)

A key aim of this opportunity is to work with a range of stakeholders including decision-makers, businesses, and civil society organisations, to design and deliver exemplar interventions at a local levels, regional levels or both that can be applied elsewhere to reduce dietary health inequalities. They particularly encourage place-based interventions that will transform the current food system and lead to longer term household food and nutrition security.

Expected outputs

The expected outputs of this funding opportunity are:

• new knowledge on the causes of dietary health inequalities in the UK food system
• new place-based, solution-focused interventions to reduce dietary health inequalities in the UK food system at local levels, regional levels or both
• new interdisciplinary research teams taking a food systems approach to dietary health inequalities
• new collaboration and partnerships between the research base and stakeholders

Expected outcomes

The expected outcomes of this funding opportunity are:

• researchers and stakeholders take a systems approach to understanding and addressing the impacts of dietary health inequalities in the UK food system
• solution-based interventions are adopted by businesses and government at local levels, regional levels, or both and lead to a reduction in dietary health inequalities in the UK food system
• enhanced relationships between different actors across the food system, including local authorities, food manufacturers or retailers, policymakers and NGOs, enabling a connected evidence-based approach to policy-making and industry practice
• increased interdisciplinary research capability and capacity in reducing dietary health inequalities in the UK food system
• a clear understanding of the causes of dietary health inequalities in the UK food system
• a significant reduction in dietary health inequalities in the UK food system

Duration

The duration of each award is a maximum of three years.

Projects must start by 1 April 2025.

Funding available

The FEC of your project can be up to £1,875,000.

UKRI will fund 80% of the FEC (£1,500,000).

If sub-contracting to a third sector organisation, this can be applied for at 100% FEC.

Notes

They are committed to achieving equality of opportunity for all funding applicants. They encourage applications from a diverse range of researchers.

They support people to work in a way that suits their personal circumstances. This includes: career breaks, support for people with caring responsibilities, flexible working, and alternative working patterns. Find out more about equality, diversity and inclusion at UKRI.