A new Community Food Strategy aims to strengthen local food systems, improve healthy eating, and create more sustainable communities across Wales.
The strategy, a key commitment in the Welsh Government’s Programme for Government, focuses on connecting Welsh producers with consumers, supporting community-led food projects, and ensuring healthier food is accessible to all.
Deputy First Minister with responsibility for Rural Affairs, Huw Irranca-Davies said, “Food lies at the heart of all our lives. The land in Wales with its beauty and magnificence, brings many opportunities which is why our produce is some of the finest in the world.
“What we eat impacts not only our physical and mental health, but also our environment, our culture, and benefits our communities. This strategy is shaped by the voices and local communities across our land and seas.”
The Welsh Government is committing over £2 million in 2025-26, with funding secured through to March 2028, to support local food initiatives.
Since 2022, Local Food Partnerships have expanded to cover every local authority in Wales. These partnerships coordinate local food systems and tackle food poverty, improve public health, and support green growth and education.
The strategy aims to increase public sector spending on Welsh food and suppliers by at least 50 per cent by 2030, creating new market opportunities for local producers.
One of the organisations that has been working to support the development of local food systems is Food Sense Wales. Founded in 2018, it was established to drive forward a cross-sector approach to the food system in Wales by working with communities, organisations and policy makers.
Commenting on the publication of the strategy, Katie Palmer, Head of Food Sense Wales said, “Our vision as an organisation is to help create a food system that’s both good for people and for the planet, and we welcome the publication of the Wales Community Food Strategy.
“There is already fantastic work taking place within different organisations across the country, and we very much see this is an opportunity to build on this through a more co-ordinated and structured approach.
“Ultimately, this will be an opportunity for stakeholders to work together to strengthen local food systems and to build back much needed diversity and resilience into our food system in a way in which supports the cultural, economic, social and environmental wellbeing of people in Wales.”
Building on over £26 million invested since 2019, the strategy integrates with the Healthy Weight: Healthy Wales plan and the 2024 Child Poverty Strategy to ensure everyone can access healthy food.
The strategy supports small-scale horticulture through grants, training, and planning policy updates to enable community growing initiatives.
To ensure effective implementation, a new Ministerial Advisory Group will be established.
The strategy is grounded in the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 and the Cymru Can strategy, supporting government objectives for social, economic, environmental, and cultural wellbeing.
The Soil Association welcomed the Welsh Government’s Community Food Strategy and its commitment to improving access to local, healthy, and sustainable food for everyone in Wales.
Soil Association Head of Policy Wales Andrew Tuddenham said, “There is an urgent need for the Welsh Government to use this strategy to help build a food system that prioritises healthy, nature-friendly and home-grown foods. And with this they have an opportunity to show true leadership with the food system in Wales – an approach which other governments can learn from.
“Climate change and international conflict is putting our food supply at risk, as much of it comes from vulnerable regions, leading to growing instability in food prices. Local food production benefits the economy and when prioritised towards minimally processed or wholefoods it also helps people avoid ultra-processed foods, which are driving a huge health crisis in Wales. Wales has a track record of pioneering efforts to promote healthier, more sustainable diets but more vision and action is needed to shape a food and farming system that delivers good food for all.
“The Soil Association urges the government to act quickly within this Senedd term. Key priorities should include delivering planning guidance to support new horticultural growers, and expanding the provision of nutritious school meals through a whole-school approach, drawing on initiatives like Food for Life and the ’Welsh Veg in Schools project which is delivering local organic produce to children’s plates.
“Farmers must be reassured with long-term support to adopt sustainable practices and through the development of strong local supply chains. We hope the strategy identifies a role for the Sustainable Farming Scheme which should draw on the experiences from successful local food partnerships developed by Food Sense Wales and the Sustainable Food Places network to deliver a resilient system that benefits both producers and consumers alike.”