Summary of Learnings

Collaboration is key

The insight and creativity that comes out of collaborations with local people, organisations and businesses makes Food Savvy unique and embeds it in the local community. We have worked with over 100 organisations since the start of the campaign. Partnerships with the East of England Coop, local chefs, and residents were instrumental in sharing Food Savvy messages at a time when many on the ground events were restricted and online became the new normal.

To achieve our ambition of the scale and impact for Food Savvy, we will need to work with a greater number of partners to help spread the word far and wide.

Community matters

Food Savvy Unlocked was borne out of community spirit, drawing on the stories from local people’s lockdown lessons picked up from their changing food habits. While there were varying degrees of engagement, the Street That Saved was another example of a campaign which was made possible by our connections with the community. It provided incredible insights into people’s food behaviours and homes and was a great example of the difference that can be made when people come together to take action.

Healthy competition and street camaraderie spurred residents on and attracted media interest. Residents in Suffolk went on to save both food and money. The campaign can help bring diverse communities together to share and celebrate food saving successes.

The right message at the right time

This year we used timely hooks of seasonal campaigns, events and on the ground activations to hook people in and then introduce them to Food Savvy and food saving behaviours. The Milk Savvy light installation at Norwich Castle and the RCV truck messaging of highly wasted items on the streets of Suffolk all brought the message to people where they were. Love Food Hate Waste’s brilliantly impactful campaign Food Waste Action Week was a good opportunity to showcase the local action we are taking on food waste in Norfolk and Suffolk.