Exhibitions shine a light on families experiencing food insecurity

Posted on Wednesday 10 December 2025

Fair Food Futures UK is a research project funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and led by researchers at the University of York, in collaboration with University College London (UCL), Bradford Institute for Health Research, Bradford District Council, London Borough of Tower Hamlets, and a panel of members of the public.

Professor Maria Bryant, from the Department of Health Sciences at York, and one of the project’s leads, said: “Around one in four families with children in the UK faces food insecurity. Through this project, we’ve been learning from families and community organisations about what kinds of support make a real difference, and how that support can be delivered with fairness and respect.”

The research is already influencing policy on food security at local and national levels through policy briefs and mapping tools, and the exhibition aims to initiate conversations about the realities of food insecurity and work with communities to improve access to good food, as well as advocate for structural change. The team has also been working closely with the Tower Hamlets Tackling Poverty team, the Tower Hamlets Food Partnership, Tower Hamlets Food Poverty Strategy Group, Bradford Food Sustainable Partnership and Bradford Anti-Poverty Group, community food organisations (CFOs) and national partners, such as DEFRA and DWP to share findings and develop a toolkit for organisations across the UK.

One of the co-investigators and impact lead, Dr Ariadne Kapetanaki, at the School for Business and Society, added: “This exhibition offers policymakers and everyone else a unique perspective on food insecurity through the eyes of those with lived experience. This powerful insight can drive meaningful change, and we hope our exhibition contributes to a future of food secure communities.”

Workshops

In workshops led by Bradford District photographer, Shy Burhan, participants learned how to tell their stories visually and worked collaboratively to curate the exhibition, to reflect both the daily struggles and the resilience of families. “Taking part in the photography workshops gave people a chance to express their experiences creatively and to be heard in a new way,” said Dr Giorgia Previdoli, one of the researchers from the University of York. She added, “many participants told us it boosted their confidence and sense of wellbeing.”

Opening in Bradford

Around 100 people from the local authority, community food organisations, study participants, health practitioners and members of the public attended the opening of the exhibition in Bradford at the newly opened Darley Street Market, a place in the heart of the city where the diverse communities of Bradford come together around food.

The Lord Mayor of Bradford, Councillor Mohammed Shafiq, who officially opened the exhibition, said: “In one of the richest nations, it is deeply concerning that so many families still struggle to afford the food they need, yet in this exhibition we not only see the challenges but also their strengths. Let us take this exhibition as a call to action, to continue working together, council, universities, communities to ensure that every family has access to nutritious food and the dignity that comes from it.”

One mother involved in the study, said: “I feel blown away. I came here to see the exhibition and the pictures are so beautiful. And then, seeing my picture there! That makes me feel fulfilled and seen. I am grateful for the opportunity I had to get to know this hidden talent I had in telling stories by taking pictures. Seeing my work displayed here makes me feel very happy.”  

Opening in Tower Hamlets

More than 50 people from the local authority, community food organisations and members of the public visited the exhibition during its launch event at Bromley by Bow Centre.

Fair Food Futures UK photography exhibition in Tower Hamlets. Image credit: Sohel

A panel discussed key research findings and the power of photography to convey families’ lived experiences of food insecurity, and the messages they wanted to share to create awareness in the wider community and advocate for change at a policy level. We heard from participants on the positive impact for them of co-creating this exhibition, and one participant spoke about the impact of taking part in the photography workshops on her life, “I have a lot of pictures that I have taken in very hard moments of my life. Those pictures remind me that this is my story. Photos can tell us about things we didn’t know. And these photos tell our stories. Some people feel like nobody is listening to them and that they are alone, that they struggle along. These pictures tell every single piece of our struggles and our future hopes on how we can move forward from this [...] For me, photography takes the worries away, even for five minutes, and this is really precious to me.”

To date, about 500 people have visited the exhibition in Tower Hamlets.

Funders

The exhibitions are funded by the NIHR, University of York Social Sciences Impact Acceleration Fund and Manchester Healthier Futures.

The Fair Food Futures UK project is funded by the NIHR Public Health Research Programme (NIHR151034). The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care. 

Photography exhibitions

Bradford
30 October 2025 - 21 February 2026
Floor 1, Darley Street Market, Bradford BD1 3HN
Monday - Saturday from 9am to 5pm

Tower Hamlets
18 November 2025 - 9 January 2026
Town Hall, 160 Whitechapel Road, Tower Hamlets London E1 1BJ