Key Strategic & Research Documents
Grassroots work is essential in building a better food network for everyone in Sheffield. But as vitally important is research and a fully realised strategy to get us where we need to be. This page includes some of our key strategic and research documents that will make Sheffield’s food system the best it can be.
- Sheffield's Local Food Action Plan
- Sheffield's Community Kitchens Report
- Feeding The Future
- Sheffield Food Strategy
- Fringe Farming Reports
- Low Carbon Food Infrastructure in Sheffield
- ShefFood's Silver Award Submission to Sustainable Food Places
- ShefFood's Bronze Award Submission to Sustainable Food Places
- The Food Ladders Project
- QR Reports
Sheffield’s Local Food Action Plan
Published: 2023 & 2025
We are incredibly excited to launch ShefFood’s Local Food Action Plan for Sheffield 2023-2030. This plan recognises and celebrates Sheffield’s current and future actions toward a fairer, more sustainable, and more resilient food system. Almost one hundred organisations were involved in the co-creation of the plan. Our collective aim is to celebrate the incredible food initiatives, organisations, and networks that exist across the city. And to better understand how we can change Sheffield’s food system together.
The 2025 Local Food Action Plan Update
ShefFood and FixOurFood are excited to launch the 2024 update to ShefFood’s Local Food Action Plan for Sheffield, originally published in 2023 as a ‘living document.’ This update reflects our commitment to ensuring the plan evolves alongside the city’s changing needs, drawing on insights from organisations working towards a healthy, sustainable, and inclusive food system. While nearly 100 organisations contributed to the original plan, we recognised the need to engage more widely. Over the past year, we have collaborated with underrepresented groups to ensure their voices are heard in local policy-making.
Through partnerships with organisations such as The Hadfield Institute, The BAMER 5, United Women Affiliation, Dryden Food Pantry, and SOAR, we have highlighted incredible work already happening across Sheffield and identified opportunities for deeper collaboration. Thanks to their contributions, we are proud to introduce new commitments and eight additional actions that champion equity in our food system. We extend our gratitude to everyone involved and look forward to working together toward a fairer, more sustainable future.
Sheffield’s Community Kitchens Report
Published: 2025
Community kitchens can provide opportunities for people to come together, enjoy good food, and can help to create a shared sense of space.
ShefFood’s research into community kitchens began with on the ground
conversations with community groups across Sheffield. These revealed a knowledge gap about the city’s wealth of community kitchen spaces. This report aims to:
- Collate information on where community kitchens are located.
- Better understand any gaps and barriers to usage, as well as what is currently working well.
- Suggest a number of recommended next steps
Report Available Soon
Feeding The Future
Published: 2025
A roadmap for a sustainable, healthy and local food economy in Sheffield
A roadmap for a sustainable, healthy and local food economy in Sheffield
The local public sector in Sheffield spends £14m on food every year, but two-thirds of that is spent with large national suppliers based outside of the city. How can we change that? And why should we?
While recognising the many obstacles anchor institutions face in buying food locally – ranging from procurement constraints to deficiencies in local supply – this report sets out a roadmap of interventions that food system actors can follow to deliver healthy, sustainable and local food to their communities.
Sheffield Food Strategy
Published: 2022
“Fairer, Healthier, Greener“
Although authored by Sheffield City Council, this Food Strategy is the culmination of many years of conversations with partners across our local food system. It demonstrates the council’s own commitment to this agenda, but it is also a call to action for our partners, who we know share our aspirations. It has been written to be overarching across the multiple policy areas that impact the food system and is intended to facilitate further work and conversations both within the council and with our partners in the city.
Fringe Farming Reports
Published: 2021, 2022
The Fringe Farming initiative collaborates with UK food, farming and land organisations to increase agroecological farming at the edge of cities.
The National Report highlights the critical issues and barriers holding back the growth of peri-urban agroecology with associated public goods and offers a series of policy recommendations for local, regional, and national government action, with case studies in a number of areas.
The Sheffield Report gives an overview of the existing context of peri-urban growing in Sheffield and the surrounding area, provides inspiring case studies from around the world and closer to home, identifies data gaps, and suggests some potential ideas for further discussion.
Low Carbon Food Infrastructure in Sheffield
Published: 2021
This discussion paper was produced specifically for candidates and elected members of Sheffield City Council, in the lead-up to the 2021 local elections, with a view to raising awareness of the challenges, opportunities and solutions offered by low-carbon food production for the people of Sheffield.
.
ShefFood’s Silver Award Submission to Sustainable Food Places
Published: 2023
Our Silver award submission to Sustainable Food Places, which won Sheffield its silver award in 2023. This document highlights the continued work of organisations across the city working towards a fairer, more sustainable food system.
.
ShefFood’s Bronze Award Submission to Sustainable Food Places
Published: 2020
Our Bronze award submission to Sustainable Food Places, which won Sheffield its bronze award in 2020. This document highlights the fantastic work of organisations across the city working towards a fairer, more sustainable food system.
.
The Food Ladders Project
Published: 2022
Mapping the Geographies of Food Provision in Sheffield
The Food Ladders Project report maps the current distribution of food services and resources across the city. It highlights the fantastic work already going on in Sheffield but also the limitations and inequalities within the provision of fair food in the region.
QR Reports
Published: 2023
Six original reports authored by student researchers in collaboration with Regather and the Institute for Sustainable Food at the University of Sheffield. In 2022, the ‘Local Food Systems Policy Accelerator’ project was introduced as a way to catalyse evidence-based, localised food system policy change. As part of the project, eight students were recruited to conduct in-depth research into food system issues affecting Sheffield. The student researchers were asked to identify the mechanisms or ‘levers for change’ that can hasten the development of more sustainable food systems and infrastructure throughout the city. The finished reports provided a valuable resource for local organisations working in the food sector, including ShefFood. Read more on the Regather website.
