Flintshire Sustainable Food System Online Pre Market Engagement event

Description

Flintshire County Council has identified the need for a sustainable food system to support households facing food poverty, particularly during school holiday periods. Current models of one-off financial support have been found to be short-term, costly, and unsustainable. The Council seeks a long-term solution that ensures affordable access to fresh, nutritious food (excluding Ultra-Processed Foods (UPF)), reducing reliance on emergency food provision, and improves health outcomes. The expectation is the design and implementation of a food system which may include, but not limited to: - Reaching rural communities with affordable fresh food and meal solutions. - Community-based hubs providing access to hot, nutritious meals. - Solutions that are targeted towards very vulnerable households. - Solutions to support residents to transition to self funded food purchase. - Innovative community based self service models of delivery. The solution must: - Be UPF-free and promote healthy, fresh, and balanced diets. - Ensure value for money and demonstrate how costs will reduce annually to eliminate Council subsidy within 5 years. - Be scalable and adaptable across diverse communities. - Involve partnerships with community organisations, volunteers, and local supply chains. - Be measurable against agreed success criteria (e.g. participation rates, reduction in food poverty indicators, health outcomes). The commissioners will be holding a online Pre Market Engagement event on Wednesday 21st January 2026 (10.30AM to 11.30AM) to inform providers the Invitation to Tender process that the commissioners will follow for this commissioning exercise.