Access to food survey

Overview

Thank you so much for your interest in our survey about food access, local services and the impacts of rising living costs.

Before you decide whether to take part or not, it is important for you to understand why the research is being done and what it will involve. 

Until now local authorities, such as Cumberland Council, have had to rely solely on data from food banks and community groups in the local area to measure food insecurity.  This can mask the true scale of the situation as not everyone accesses these services.     

This survey is available to everyone living in Cumberland over the age of 18 and we encourage one adult per household to take part, regardless of whether they have experienced food insecurity or not.   

Participants also have the chance to be entered into a free prize draw to win gift vouchers of up to £100.  

Why your views matter

Many people are struggling to afford enough food as well as other essentials right now. Cumberland Council’s Public Health team wants to find out how many people are struggling to access food across Cumberland, for financial reasons or for other reasons, and what types of support people know about and use. In partnership with researchers from the University of Liverpool, Sheffield, Lincoln and Northumbria, they are conducting this survey to enable a better understanding of food access issues in Cumberland. This research will help the Cumberland Public Health team identify where future interventions need to be targeted to ensure that households are supported.

Please follow this link below which will take you to the MEL Research website and the start of the survey.

Alternatively, if you’d like to complete the survey in an alternative format, please contact M·E·L Research on freephone number 0800 073 0348 to make this request.

The survey is being led by Dr Rachel Loopstra at the University of Liverpool in partnership with the council and researchers from the universities of Sheffield, Lincoln, Northumbria and the Independent Food Aid Network.  This project has been funded by the University of Liverpool’s Partnership and Innovation Fund.