Deliciously Yorkshire

Deliciously Yorkshire (DY), the trade body representing the region’s vast food and drink industry, is a vital commercial partner for FixOurFood, specifically within the “Hybrid Business Models” research strand. As Yorkshire boasts the UK’s highest concentration of food and drink businesses, DY acts as the bridge between academic sustainability theories and the reality of the marketplace. The partnership is formalised through DY’s seat on the FixOurFood Commission, where they represent the interests of producers and retailers. A flagship example of their collaboration is the “Best Sustainable Product” category at the annual Deliciously Yorkshire Taste Awards, which is sponsored and judged by FixOurFood. This award uses the “three pillars of sustainability” (economic, environmental, and social) to celebrate businesses that are not only profitable but are actively “spiralling up” the health of the local landscape and community. Entrants have told their stories on film, helping others to understand what is involved in running a sustainable food business.

The Food Foundation

The Food Foundation is a key strategic partner to FixOurFood, specifically leading the “FixOurFood in Schools” strand of the programme. While FixOurFood provides the academic rigor and regional research base in Yorkshire, The Food Foundation provides the national advocacy “engine” to turn that research into UK-wide policy. Their collaboration focuses on systemic shifts in how children eat, particularly through projects like the “Better Deal for Free School Meals.” This initiative used Yorkshire students as “citizen scientists” to investigate food quality, eventually taking their findings directly to Parliament. Together, they bridge the gap between local grassroots evidence and national legislative change, advocating for structural solutions like auto-enrolment for Free School Meals and the evaluation of the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme to ensure no child is left behind by a “broken” food system.

Yorkshire Agricultural Society

The Yorkshire Agricultural Society (YAS), a registered charity founded in 1837 and best known for organizing the iconic Great Yorkshire Show, is deeply linked to the FixOurFood research programme through shared governance and strategic networking. A primary bridge between the two is the Yorkshire Food, Farming and Rural Network (YFFRN); this network is supported by the YAS and serves as an “affiliate member” of the FixOurFood Commission. This connection allows the YAS to act as a vital conduit between academic research and the practical farming community, helping to translate FixOurFood’s vision of a “regenerative food system” into actionable change for local farmers and rural businesses. Furthermore, leadership often overlaps between the organisations—such as through joint events like “Learning Through Land”—to ensure that scientific innovations in soil health and sustainable supply chains are directly accessible to the people managing Yorkshire’s landscape

North Yorkshire Council

North Yorkshire Council (NYC) acts as a critical strategic partner and a primary “test bed” for the FixOurFood programme, moving academic research into the realm of local government policy. This partnership was formalised through the co-creation of the “Food for the Future: A Framework for Action,” a 10-year strategic plan launched in late 2025 that positions North Yorkshire as a national leader in food system transformation. The council utilises FixOurFood’s “Three Horizons” systems-thinking framework to address complex challenges such as childhood obesity, food insecurity, and climate change. Beyond high-level strategy, the link is highly operational: NYC collaborates with FixOurFood to trial regenerative food procurement in schools (linking local farmers directly to school kitchens), conducts large-scale public engagement like the “Let’s Talk Food” survey, and supports research through fact-finding visits by councillors to regenerative agriculture pilot farms.

The Yorkshire Grain Alliance

The Yorkshire Grain Alliance (YGA) is perhaps the most practical and “field-to-fork” expression of the FixOurFood mission. It is a collective of farmers, millers, bakers, and researchers dedicated to building a non-commodity grain economy in the region. Supported by the FixOurFood programme, the YGA serves as a living laboratory for regenerative hybrid business models. Rather than selling grain into the anonymous global market, YGA members collaborate to grow genetically diverse heritage grains—such as YQ and April Bearded wheat—which are then processed by local millers and sold to artisan bakers. This partnership allows FixOurFood researchers to study how shortened, transparent supply chains can create fair pricing for farmers while improving soil health and regional food security.

Bremner & Co

Bremner & Co, an independent food policy consultancy, serves as a specialist delivery partner for FixOurFood, translating complex research into practical toolkits for local authorities. Their partnership is most prominent in the “FixOurFood in Schools” initiative, where they lead the design and implementation of the Free School Meal (FSM) auto-enrolment project. By combining the University of York’s data with Bremner & Co’s expertise in public sector operations, the collaboration has already helped over 20,000 eligible children in Yorkshire and beyond automatically receive free meals. Beyond schools, the two organisations recently expanded their focus to the Early Years sector, co-authoring pioneering research into food procurement for children under five. This partnership effectively bridges the gap between high-level academic study and the “on-the-ground” administrative changes needed to fix the “leaky bucket” of the UK’s school food system.

ShefFood

ShefFood, the official food partnership for Sheffield, is a primary collaborator with FixOurFood in the realm of “bottom-up” policymaking and urban food governance. The two organisations co-developed the Sheffield Local Food Action Plan, a comprehensive seven-year strategy launched in 2023 (and updated in early 2025) that translates Sheffield City Council’s broader vision into over 80 specific, community-led commitments. This partnership is highly active; FixOurFood researchers work directly with ShefFood’s five working groups—covering themes like the Good Food Economy, Growing and Composting, and Community Food Provision—to ensure local initiatives are backed by academic evidence. Together, they focus on making the city’s food system more inclusive, specifically reaching out to underrepresented groups such as the Yemeni community and BAMER collectives to ensure that the transition to a regenerative food system is equitable for all Sheffield residents.

FareShare Yorkshire

FareShare Yorkshire, the region’s largest food redistribution charity, is a pivotal partner for FixOurFood, particularly within the research strand focused on “The Nutritional Challenge of Food Aid.” While FareShare Yorkshire is expert at the logistics of intercepting surplus food from the supply chain, its collaboration with FixOurFood focuses on a “systems approach” to maximise the nutritional density of that food. This partnership acknowledges that while surplus food prevents waste and hunger, it can sometimes lack the nutritional quality needed for long-term health. Together, they conduct workshops with frontline community food members—such as food banks and community cafes—to identify barriers to providing healthy meals and to create a “pathways to transformation” report. Furthermore, Jonathan Williams, CEO at FareShare Yorkshire, sits on the FixOurFood Commission, ensuring that the charity’s real-world data on food insecurity and waste directly informs regional policy and regenerative business models.

Spark*

Spark:York, a social enterprise and community hub located in York city center, served as a vital “living laboratory” for FixOurFood to test urban food innovations in a real-world setting. It is most notably linked to the programme as the original site of Grow It York, a flagship aeroponic vertical farm developed in collaboration with the University of York and LettUs Grow. By hosting this high-tech farm within a public space filled with independent food vendors, Spark:York enabled researchers to trial hyper-local supply chains, where microgreens and herbs were grown and harvested just meters away from the kitchens that served them. This partnership effectively demonstrates a “Horizon 3” regenerative model, proving that urban agriculture can be integrated into social spaces to reduce food miles, increase food literacy, and provide fresh, nutrient-dense produce to the local community.

GrowItYork moved to the University of York campus in 2025

City St George’s, University of London

City St George’s, University of London (formerly City, University of London) is a founding academic partner of FixOurFood, primarily leading the programme’s Policy and Governance work package through its world-renowned Centre for Food Policy. A key figure in this link is Dr. Rebecca Wells, who serves as a Co-Investigator for FixOurFood and leads the efforts to map and influence food policy across government departments. The partnership is notably responsible for the co-creation of the Sheffield Local Food Action Plan, led by City St George’s researcher Dr. Christopher Yap, which has become a national blueprint for how cities can use participatory governance to build more resilient, community-led food systems.

University of Leeds

The University of Leeds is a cornerstone academic partner for FixOurFood, serving as the program’s primary “real-world” laboratory for regenerative agriculture. Leeds provides the physical infrastructure and scientific expertise to test farming theories at scale, primarily through the University of Leeds Research Farm. This 317-hectare commercial site acts as a pioneering hub where researchers like Professor Pippa Chapman and Dr. Ruth Wade manage unique, large-scale trials co-designed with local farmers. These trials are among the most sophisticated in the UK, using automated greenhouse gas chambers and drone technology to measure how different combinations of regenerative practices—such as minimal tillage, cover cropping, and livestock integration—impact soil health, biodiversity, and farm profitability.

Cranfield University

Cranfield University serves as the analytical powerhouse for FixOurFood, leading the programme’s “Measuring Change” workstream through its School of Water, Energy and Environment. While other partners focus on policy or community action, Cranfield provides the rigorous environmental data and systems modeling required to predict the potentil of regenerative farming. Key researchers, such as Dr Michelle Cain and Dr Albert Muleke are currently testing a farm model to measure the effects of Regenerative Agriculture practices.

University of York