On 16th June, over 60 stakeholders gathered for the Oxfordshire County Food Summit—a milestone event celebrating progress and shaping next steps for a healthier, fairer, and more sustainable food system. 

The afternoon opened with a welcome from Ansaf Azhar (Director of Public Health), followed by a summary of achievements from Fiona Steel (CEO, Good Food Oxfordshire). Councillor Helen Pighills launched the new Food Action Plan for South and Vale, reinforcing county-wide momentum.a 

Here are some of the Year 1 highlights from across the County: 

Tackling Food Poverty and Diet-Related Ill Health 

• Launched a Priority Places for Food Index with the CDRC. 

• Renewed 13 Food Poverty Action Pledges. 

• Consultations led by OX4 Food Crew on HAF programme barriers. 

• 40+ professionals trained on food poverty through MECC. 

• FEAST Living Lab gathered insights and trained community facilitators. 

• Quarterly Community Food Network meetings held. 

• Healthy Start training engaged 52 teams. 

Building Vibrant Food Communities 

• Community food map (4,000+ views) featured 89 cooking spaces. 

• 18 grants supported local food projects via Cherwell District Council. 

• OxPlenty pilot addressed surplus food redistribution. 

• 100+ growing sites mapped across Oxfordshire. 

• Right to Grow motion passed in Oxford City. 

• Cooking and Healthy Eating report captured insights from 32 groups. 

Growing a Good Food Economy 

• OX4 Food Crew produced a report and film on community wealth building. 

• WISH partnership launched the Good Waste Charter. 

• County Council piloted Good Food Retail and Out of Home projects. 

Strengthening Local Food Supply Chains 

• OxFarmToFork platform linked 44 buyers and producers; £32K invested in farms, 424 zero-emission deliveries. 

• Events connected chefs and farmers; SDG Impact Lab measured outcomes. 

• NE Cotswold Farming Cluster explored local processing post-abattoir closure. 

Healthier Institutional Catering 

• £100K+ in local food purchased by 18 institutions. 

• Nutrition training delivered in 15 schools; Adopt a School launched in Cherwell.  

In themed breakout sessions, participants identified several shared priorities for continued action: improving food education and school meals; increasing land access and opportunities for growing; strengthening public procurement to support local food and farming; expanding cooking initiatives and skills development; enhancing support for community food networks; and improving the overall local food environment. 

The summit underscored the power of partnerships, from community groups to councils. With the Sustainable Food Places Gold Campaign now live, Oxfordshire is committed to showcasing action from across Oxfordshire. 

The day closed with attendees pledging one action to advance food system transformation.  

Stay tuned as we continue into Year 2 of local food action and move towards achieving the Sustainable Food Places Gold Award.