Tony Price

BAGS OF TASTE

Bags of Taste is a comprehensive programme that takes participants from eating unhealthy food, to enjoying better diets and healthier finances. We work with primarily with participants who suffer from a range of issues: mental health, addiction, disability (mental or physical), social isolation, long term health conditions and unemployment. People in poverty face numerous barriers to improving their diets that are not faced by the rest of the population. These include psychological (mental health, confidence, scarcity mindset), economic (cost of food, transport, equipment and energy; ability to bulk buy, risk of waste), structural (takeaway density, food access), and practical (skills and information access). Our comprehensive programme works with our participants to overcome these barriers and improve their and their families' diets, cutting junk food consumption by 85%, improving health and saving households £1,350 per annum on food bills. Bags of Taste works nationwide in 15 locations and has to date worked with over 8,000 participants and has a volunteer base of over 200 volunteers.