HEHTA is proud to be part of a UKRI–BBSRC* funded project which brings researchers, local government and food organisations together to tackle poor diet and ill health in some of the most deprived areas in Glasgow.

A broad partnership led by local community activists and supported by local food organisations has developed plans to establish a weekly community-led food market in low-income areas of Glasgow with limited grocery stores ('food deserts').

Led by Dr Ada Garcia, School of Medicine, Dentistry & Nursing, this £1m+ research collaboration will:

  • Work with local communities to understand barriers to healthy eating
  • Launch community-led  weekend food markets with affordable, culturally appropriate produce
  • Provide practical cooking advice, food education, and creative art activities to boost engagement, improve food literacy, and promote healthier food environments
  • Evaluate the impact of the markets on improving access to nutritious food and assess whether this approach could be used in other areas

Eleanor Grieve and Samuel Owusu Achiaw will assess if the intervention achieves value for money by estimating the return on investment, its cost-effectiveness and affordability. Making the business case for locally run community markets is key to the sustainability of this initiative, and which are likely to see broad societal health and non-health related improvements and long-lasting impacts on the community, including reduced social inclusion and the risk of poor physical health.  Importantly, this links directly to reducing health inequalities by tackling root causes of health gaps.

* Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council

Further information:

Health Inequalities Research: University of Glasgow - Colleges - College of Medical, Veterinary & Life Sciences - MVLS 2033 - College Futures - Health Inequalities

UKRI: https://www.ukri.org/news/projects-spanning-the-uk-to-tackle-food-inequality-unveiled/

BBC: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c9qnyx2ewdwo

 

First published: 11 November 2025

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