As executive director of The Food Foundation, Anna Taylor is on a mission to change food policies across the UK and improve the nation’s diets
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Hi Anna. The Food Foundation started life in 2015. How did it begin?
We were founded by Laura Sandys, who was an MP for South Thanet in Kent. After talking to her constituents, she was concerned about the combined effects of having a low income and the current food system, and the impact it was having on people’s health.
How did you become involved?
I was the first employee. My job was to turn it into an impactful organisation. I’m a public health nutritionist by training, and before the Food Foundation I was focused on tackling malnutrition in lowincome countries. I was increasingly aware that we had a burgeoning obesity crisis in the UK and a food poverty problem that was growing.
Using its own and academic research, the Food Foundation works to inspire businesses and government to act on food issues across the UK. What’s a success story you’re proud of?
A good example is when we started tracking food insecurity during the pandemic, and unbeknownst to us Marcus Rashford was interested in what was happening to children on free school meals – particularly when the schools were closed. He actually used our data in his first letter to MPs.
So we then worked to make sure his campaign was filled with the best evidence. It resulted in the government putting in place a nationwide programme to make sure that children on free school meals had access to food and activities during the holidays.
The cost-of-living crisis is obviously a concern for you at the moment. What impact have you seen it have on families and food insecurity?
The situation is severe. Between January and April, we’ve seen a 57% increase in the number of households that are
