Lancaster Food Groups Adopt New Way to Help Residents Get Groceries

The Lancaster District Food Justice Partnership (LDFJP) has launched a new way of helping people across Lancaster, Lancashire, get enough to eat by moving from emergency parcels to a membership-based system. In January 2026 the group confirmed it is using a step-by-step model based on the Food Ladders framework to help residents move from crisis support to more permanent ways of accessing affordable groceries.

The new plan focuses on helping people “climb” out of food poverty rather than only providing short-term relief. Instead of mainly distributing pre-packed parcels of ambient or canned goods, the model encourages the use of local food clubs where people pay a small weekly membership to choose their own fresh food and household staples.

Organisations such as Eggcup are at the heart of this change, offering a shopping-style experience: a typical £5 weekly membership provides households with roughly £15–£20 worth of food. This approach is already being trialled at local hubs and food clubs in areas including the Ridge, Skerton, Marsh and Stanleys, giving residents more choice and dignity.

The move follows a difficult period for local food charities. Notably, Eggcup faced an urgent funding crisis in late 2024 and was at risk of closure until a community fundraising effort and local support secured its short-term future into 2025. By shifting toward membership fees, buying co-ops and community kitchens, the FoodFutures partnership hopes to make the local food system more stable and less reliant on unpredictable donations.

While traditional food banks will remain available for those in immediate crisis (the first “rung” of the Food Ladders model), the partnership aims to support more communities to self-organise and run their own local food projects as they move up the ladder. This strategy is a central element of the district’s bid for the Sustainable Food Places Gold Award, expected by the end of 2026.