Feed: Pioneering Food Equity and Ecological Diets

Rising food insecurity and ecological degradation disproportionately affect vulnerable groups, including children, pregnant and postnatal women, those experiencing menopause, and the elderly. In 2022, four million children lived in food-insecure households in the UK. Meanwhile, public food procurement represents a significant opportunity for systems change. The UK spends £2.4 bn annually on public food, with schools as the largest beneficiary. With nearly 25% of pupils eligible for free school meals, school food is uniquely positioned to tackle health inequalities and accelerate a shift to more sustainable food systems. However, school meals often fall short in nutritional quality and environmental performance. Approximately 70% of school food consists of ultra-processed products high in fat, sugar, and salt. Despite mandatory School Food Standards, there is no regulatory oversight in England. Health messaging is inconsistently applied. Nutritious and environmentally sustainable options are costlier and therefore increasingly less accessible, within constrained public budgets. The result is a dual burden of poor health outcomes in children and missed opportunities for climate mitigation through food system reform. Pulses, offer promising synergies for addressing these challenges. Nutrient-dense, affordable, low in fat/sugar/salt, and suitable for a wide range of dietary requirements, pulses also enrich soil through nitrogen fixation, reducing fertiliser use. Despite their benefits, pulse consumption has not increased in the UK in over 30 years. At the same time, wild venison represents underutilised, sustainable lean protein that support ecological land management and reduces waste. Public food procurement represents a unique opportunity to create a food chain for wild venison into the food system. For children and other nutritionally vulnerable groups, meat remains culturally and nutritionally central. Replacing conventional industrial meat, coupled with partial substitution of meat with legumes and vegetables offer a pragmatic solution: maintaining meat’s benefits while improving dietary diversity and reducing environmental impact. We propose FEED, an innovative product co-designed for the public plate, which responds directly to the nutritional, environmental, and economic challenges outlined above. FEED pioneers hybrid products nutritionally optimised, cost-effective, and scalable blending UK-grown pulses, vegetables, and wild venison in varied ratios. Such innovation requires skill and time that school kitchens are short of. Designed to meet institutional catering needs (e.g., schools, hospitals), FEED accommodates operational constraints, and appeal to diverse dietary requirements while meeting nutritional needs of vulnerable populations. Key components: A) UK-grown legumes transitioned from animal feed to human consumption, incorporated into products such as burgers, sauces, and snacks. B) wild venison in varying ratios (from 20% to 50%) partially substituted with legumes and vegetables reduces meat without sacrificing nutritional quality. Wild venison is nutritious and ecologically beneficial (e.g., deer population control, woodland management). C) Root and 'wonky' vegetables: UK-climate adapted seasonal crops (e.g., swede, brassicas, carrots). Meat replacement with legumes (50/50 content) can reduce GHG emissions by 40%. An ESRC funded study shows environmental and financial cost reduction while meeting school food standards in three schools in England (Appendix A, 1-3). Building on this work, we will leverage existing networks (e.g., Local farmers, deer stalkers, processors, caterers, procurers, and multi academy trusts Appendix B, 1-3)), to innovate functionally nutritious, clean-label, sustainable alternatives tailored to institutional and population-specific needs, while adding value to UK-grown crops (e.g., fava beans for human consumption), diversifying diets farmer income, and promoting environmental sustainability.