UK Urban Food Forum 2026 events

We’re excited to launch the 2026 series of the UK Urban Food Forum (UK-UFF) – a knowledge exchange network for local authority officers working to transform urban food environments.

Following successful series in 2024 & 2025 we’re building momentum and expanding our collaborative efforts with new sessions for 2026. You can find more information and sign up links below - please note these sessions are only open to people working in local authorities. 

Session 1: Crisis and Resilience Fund – Opportunities for Local Authorities to strengthen food resilience in their communities

Date: Wednesday 15th April 2026 
Time: 1:00 – 2:30 PM 
Location: Online (link will be shared upon registration) 
Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/urban-food-forum-crisis-and-resilience-fund-opportunities-for-las-tickets-1984982531185?aff=oddtdtcreator 

About this session
In this first Knowledge Exchange of 2026, we’ll focus on the new Crisis and Resilience Fund (CRF) and what it means for local authorities working to strengthen local food resilience and building healthier and more sustainable food systems.

We'll explore how the Fund can be used by councils to respond to crises, strengthen preventative support systems, and build more resilient local support networks. The session will provide an opportunity for local authority officers to better understand the guidance, share early insights, and discuss how the funding could be implemented in practice.

Who should attend:
Officers working in public health, community support and welfare, food policy and food partnerships, social care and hardship support, regeneration, resilience, or emergency planning. Please note this session is only open to people working in local authorities. 

Session 2: Developing Local Food Plans – How to build a case for embedding food into local decision making

How public health departments can co-develop eating guidance adapted to diverse communities, health conditions, and settings

Date: Thursday 5th June, 2025 
Time: 1:00 – 2:30 PM 
Location: Online (link will be shared upon registration) 
Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/uff-developing-local-food-plans-embedding-food-into-local-decision-making-tickets-1986191632640?aff=oddtdtcreator 
 
About this session 

This session will focus on ways in which local authorities can develop Local Food Plans to create more coordinated, strategic approaches to improving food environments across cities and towns.

Local food plans are increasingly being used as a framework to bring together work across public health, procurement, planning, climate, and community development, helping councils move from isolated interventions to a more joined-up food systems approach.

During the session we will explore how local authorities are designing and implementing these plans, how they align with wider local strategies, and how councils are working with partners to turn plans into practical action.

Who should attend:
Officers working in public health, food policy and food partnerships, planning and regeneration, climate and sustainability, procurement and local economic development. Please note this session is only open to people working in local authorities. 

Session 3: How can Government Buying Standards & School Food Standards work together to support local authorities in achieving better procurement outcomes? 

Date: Thursday 18th June 2026
Time: 1:00 – 2:30 PM 
Location: Online (link will be shared upon registration) 
Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/uff-food-standards-and-better-procurement-outcomes-at-a-local-level-tickets-1986194908438?aff=oddtdtcreator 
 
About this session
Public sector food procurement represents a £5 billion annual spend, making it one of the most powerful levers available to improve public health, strengthen local economies and support sustainable food systems.  

At the same time, the Government is considering updates to both procurement standards and school food standards alongside the implementation of the Procurement Act 2023. These developments create an important opportunity for local authorities to rethink how food is purchased and served across schools and other public settings.

This session will focus on application of Government Buying Standards for Food and Catering (GBSF) in school food procurement, and how it can help local authorities achieve their sustainability and health goals.

Who should attend: 
Local authority procurement teams responsible for food and catering contracts, public health leads and officers working on nutrition, food environments and health inequalities  Please note this session is only open to people working in local authorities. 

What is the UK Urban Food Forum?

The UK-UFF is a peer-to-peer learning network convened by The Food Foundation and funded initially by Birmingham City Council. It provides a space for local authority officers to share best practices, explore challenges, and develop solutions across urban food policy – from procurement to advertising, growing to governance.

Inspired by the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact, UK-UFF uniquely supports local authority officers navigating political, financial, and structural challenges in delivering healthy, sustainable, and equitable food systems.

What have we done so far?

In 2024, we piloted the Forum through three Knowledge Exchange (KX) sessions attended by 12 local authorities. Each session featured a mix of policy deep-dives, case studies, and facilitated discussions: 

• Session 1 (July 2024): Healthy and Sustainable Procurement – exploring how councils are reforming procurement to prioritise sustainability, SMEs, and healthy diets, including key legislative changes like the Procurement Act 2023.
• Session 2 (August 2024): Healthier Food Advertising – focusing on cross-departmental collaboration, real-world implementation of advertising restrictions, and public health outcomes from policies like those adopted in London.
• Session 3 (September 2024): Urban and Peri-Urban Growing – sharing practical approaches to unlocking council-owned land for community food growing, with insights from Bury and strategies around “Right to Grow” initiatives.

In 2025, we hosted a four part series tackling key issues and sharing practical tools that local authorities can apply immediately. 

• Session 1 (May 2025): Devolution and opportunities for strengthening local food resilience.
• Session 2 (June 2025): Public health collaboration on developing culturally diverse eating guidance that is adapted for the needs of different communities, health conditions and settings.
• Session 3 (June 2025): Roadmap to more sustainable and healthy school food procurement.
• Session 4 (July 2025): Public health policies to improve children's eating habits in schools and childcare settings.

Who is it for?

The Forum is open to local authority officers and policy officials across departments – from public health and procurement to planning, regeneration, and environmental sustainability – who are working to deliver local food strategies or are keen to start.

Places will be limited to 30 to ensure a productive and participatory discussion – register early to secure your place.

Accessing Past Resources and Sharing Your Own 

Previous session recordings and slides are stored in our closed-access Google Folder. If you’d like to access them or upload documentation from your local authority to support others, you can: 

• Request access to the Google Folder
• Upload directly to your designated LA folder, or use this upload form 

Sharing resources helps us collectively accelerate food system change across UK cities and towns.

Stay Connected

• Mailing list: Sign up to the UK-UFF mailing list to receive the latest updates on Forum activities.
• Community comms: Join the UK-UFF Rise up group to communicate directly with other members. Email uk-uff-subscribe@lists.riseup.net to be added.
• Spread the word: Promote the Forum across your networks and share these invites with colleagues in your LA who may benefit from attending.