Community Food Research
Our Story
We have been examining community food groups and the provision of food support/aid (a term with different meaning to different actors) over the past several years in the context of the pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis.
We are particularly interested in understanding the changes and innovations introduced by community food groups in response to the above crises, their implications and long-term durability.
Our Objectives:
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Examine and understand the changes and innovations introduced by community food groups.
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Assessing implications of innovative changes made by community groups and their long-term durability.
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Providing and promoting mutual-cross learning for and among community food groups.
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Enable the co-production of applied knowledge for community food groups.
Meet the Team
We are a diverse team of academic and published researchers, with expertise in Nutrition, Dietetics, as well as the Social and Political Sciences.
Principle Investigator
Ronald Ranta
I am a senior lecturer at Kingston University. My research focuses on food insecurity, food poverty, and the politics of food. This research is informed by my experience of working as a chef for over a decade, being a trustee of a food support project, and volunteering with a number of community food groups for the past several years. My trustee and volunteering work in particular has given me a first-hand exposure to the issues and challenges facing community food support groups and the scale and gravity of the food insecurity and food poverty crisis faced by many in society.
Researcher
Hilda Mulrooney
Hilda is a nutritionist and registered dietitian. She helps develop the research tools, carries out qualitative and quantitative data gathering and analysis and writes up the projects in collaboration with other team members.
Researcher
Nevena Nancheva
Nevena Nancheva is Senior Lecturer in the social sciences at University of Roehampton London and a researcher at the Centre for Equality, Justice and Social Change. Her research is interdisciplinary and focused on living with difference in the city. She has written on community, identity, inclusion and marginality, belonging, conviviality. Her project on ethnic food entrepreneurship and community was funded by The Mayor of London within the Building Stronger Communities mission of the Designing London’s Recovery Programme.
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Researcher
Dee Bhakta
Dr Dee Bhakta, Reader in Nutrition & Health is a nutritionist and registered dietitian who runs the MSc Human Nutrition at London Metropolitan University. She began working with Hilda, Ronald & Nevena during the pandemic looking at food insecurity particularly from a nutritional adequacy perspective. She is interested in the provision of healthy and sustainable food for the whole population.
Research Assistant
Sarah Sumpter
As a research assistant, I embrace a diverse role—from web design to data collection and analysis. My work in exploring food support initiatives and collaborating with charity-based food organizations, alongside my studies in nutrition, has deepened my understanding of how food insecurity shapes public health.