Working alongside local communities to address food insecurity

Introduction: When communities partake in research this can often help
mobilise and empower others whilst leading to a deeper exploration of the
topic of interest. Implementing a co-production approach has been shown
to provide a platform on which to draw upon lived experiences in a safe
way, capable of creating new meaning and insight. It is also particularly
useful when tailoring interventions to meet community needs (Vargas et
al, 2022). This project recruited peer researchers from a local community
in the North East of England, UK to engage in research to understand
more about the Eco Shop, a model of social supermarket which redistributes
surplus food at reduced process to tackle food insecurity. or volunteers responsible for the day to day running of Eco Shops. They
contributed towards all phases of the research process including, project
development, data collection/refining of tools, analysis and dissemination.
Supported by the wider research team, peer researchers carried out
interviews (n=23) with members of the Eco Shop community to explore
their views and feelings around the model to understand more about how
they operate and are used. In January 2024 themes identified in interviews
will be sense checked and explored further in a focus group meeting with
the wider Eco Shop community.
Results: Themes generated from interviews included; implementation of
the model and adaptations, cost of living, pressures associated with managing
and running an Eco Shop, customer preference and attunement and
repurposing of shop surplus. Eco Shops that revised their ways of working
based on customer need and provided additional services to promote
socialisation and life skills appeared to thrive in contrast to those who did
not. Additionally, this depended heavily on the enthusiasm and dedication
of workers. A topic guide is currently being developed in collaboration
with the peer researchers and will form the basis of discussions at the
focus group meeting.
Conclusions: This research will provide an understanding of the best
ways to help Eco Shops adapt to meet the needs of the communities they
serve. Data gathered by peer researchers offers a deeper understanding
from the perspective of those involved with the running of Eco Shops,
providing scope to improve access and availability to produce, whilst
potentially reducing any associated stigma. Furthermore, it demonstrates
how using peer researchers can elicit valuable information, adding a new
level of complexity and depth to findings.