London councils pilot fruit and vegetables on prescription

A pilot project in the London boroughs of Tower Hamlets and Lambeth will explore the viability of providing fruit and vegetables on prescription as a long-term solution to tackling diet-related ill health and food insecurity.

During the 12-month pilot, vouchers for fruit and vegetables will be distributed to a target group of 122 residents across both boroughs who are at risk of, or have, conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes or mental health conditions and are struggling financially.

The trial is a collaboration between the Alexandra Rose Charity and the public health teams at Tower Hamlets and Lambeth.

Tower Hamlets currently has the highest poverty rate (39 percent), child poverty rate (56 percent) and income inequality of all London boroughs, while Lambeth also has a high rate of chronic disease and health inequality.

The partners say the initiative is the first large-scale pilot of its type in the UK and following evaluation they hope it could be rolled out nationally subject to funding.

The £250,000 (US$285,000) pilot is funded by the local authorities and Impact on Urban Health, a charitable foundation that is part of Guy’s & St Thomas’ Foundation.

Cost of living crisis

Councillor Gulam Choudhury, Cabinet Member for Health, Wellbeing and Social Care at Tower Hamlets Council, said: “The COVID-19 pandemic, and now the cost of living crisis, has exacerbated the underlying issue of food insecurity experienced by many families and residents. This project is part of our Healthy Boroughs Programme, which aims to develop community-led schemes to address challenges around food and nutrition insecurity.”

Councillor Marcia Cameron, Lambeth’s joint Cabinet Member for Healthier Communities, commented: “We are working hard to tackle worsening food poverty and tackle the chronic health conditions which persist in our communities such as heart disease and Type 2 Diabetes. With the cost of living bearing down on household incomes the risk of diet-related ill health and food insecurity have gone up.

“Healthy eating can help address both these issues, which is why we were so determined to lead this new trial.”

‘An idea whose time has come’

The projects will be delivered in partnership with the Bromley by Bow Centre in Tower Hamlets, which was an early adopter of social prescribing, and by The Beacon Project in Lambeth.

Residents in Tower Hamlets will receive Rose Vouchers worth £6 per week and those in Lambeth £8 per week, plus £2 per week for each household member.

They can spend the vouchers on the fruit and vegetables of their choice with local retailers and market traders. In Tower Hamlets, participants will also be invited to take part in monthly healthy lifestyle group sessions.

“Fruit & Veg on Prescription is an idea whose time has come,” said Jonathan Pauling, Chief Executive at Alexandra Rose Charity.

“The cost of living crisis is worsening and exacerbating rising levels of diet-related ill health and food insecurity. When calories from unhealthy food are three times cheaper than healthy alternatives, it makes sense that people will prioritise being full rather than being healthy, but this only stores up problems for the future.

“Diet-related ill health is costing the NHS billions every year, but more importantly, it is limiting the life chances of people on low incomes. We hope that the Fruit & Veg on Prescription Project will make a healthy diet easier to access for people who are struggling.”

Social prescribing

Professor Sir Sam Everington, a GP in Bromley by Bow, Chair of NHS Tower Hamlets Clinical Commissioning Group, and Vice President of the British Medical Association, commented: “So many long and short-term illnesses deteriorate significantly with a poor diet. A healthy diet can often achieve far more than any medicines I can prescribe as a GP.

“Therefore, fruit and veg prescriptions are essential in reversing and preventing many illnesses. When I trained over 40 years ago, Type 2 Diabetes was a disease of the elderly. We are now seeing it in teenagers. Much of it is preventable with a healthy diet and good regular exercise. Fruit and veg should be part of every prescription.”

The government’s food strategy, published in June, pledged to invest in a pilot Community Eatwell programme which would build on the growth of social prescribing within primary care networks.

In a separate £12.7 million pilot announced in August, UK doctors will prescribe walking and cycling to patients in 11 UK local council areas as part of a government trial. There are also growing efforts to include internet services, devices and training in social prescribing packages.