Can food markets help tackle Glasgow’s obesity crisis?

Markets offering healthy food will be established in some of Glasgow’s most deprived areas in an attempt to tackle food insecurity and obesity in the city.

A £1m three-year pilot project by the University of Glasgow, alongside local groups, will examine why many Glaswegians suffer from a poor diet limited in fruit, vegetables and high fibre foods.

Dale Todd, who runs the Courtyard Pantry Enterprise in Wester Common in Ruchill, told BBC Scotland he estimated food insecurity had trebled there over the past several years.

Two markets will be set up next year, following a pilot event in Ruchill this weekend.

Last year’s Scottish Health Survey found food insecurity – where people have limited access to healthy food – at the highest level since the survey began, while 27% of Glaswegians are classed as obese.

Dr Ada Garcia, who is leading the study, is under no illusions about the task ahead of her.

“This has been an underlying issue in Glasgow for years, but there have been a lot of different actions going on trying to tackle it,” she explains.

“The problem is not going away though, and we know obesity rates are increasing – so is cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.

“Deprivation limits people’s ability to feed themselves and their families well. There is a limiting factor in having to travel to a supermarket and find healthier food, so we looked at it being accessible in the first place.”

That thinking led to the idea of food markets being developed – where people could pick up healthy options at more affordable prices.

The locations for the 2026 markets are still to be decided, with funding of more than £1m coming from government body UK Research & Innovation.

Working on the project are experts from the Glasgow School of Art and the Glasgow Centre for Population Health, alongside a wider team of members including Glasgow City Council, Glasgow Food Policy Partnership and Glasgow Community Food Network.

Both Dr Garcia and Mr Todd, who set up the Courtyard Pantry three years ago, are aware healthier food is available in Glasgow, but found in wealthier areas of the city like the West End.

Dr Garcia told BBC Scotland it is important the project does not feel like researchers and academics from more affluent areas dropping into poorer places, then vanishing once their work is complete.

“We do not want to impose our ideas on an area, we want to work with existing organisations that know the community well and then have the markets become sustainable” she says.

“Can it lead to better purchasing behaviours, in terms of getting people buying healthier items? We have ideas on what is missing in the Scottish diet, so it will be focused on some specific items like fibre rich foods, fruit and vegetables.”

While there will be two markets set up, one will also feature art and creative ideas, in an attempt to see if that helps draw local people in.

Collaboration with local groups is what led the study to work alongside the Courtyard Pantry.

It separately applied for funding to establish a market, before becoming linked with the university project.

“We cannot rely on surplus food to tackle food insecurity,” says Mr Todd.

“We run a food pantry and, like foodbanks, it’s a useful way to support people in immediate need of food, but they are not a panacea to food insecurity.

“Food insecurity here is being driven by both lack of resources, as in money, but also a lack of access.”

Visitors to the panty on Saturday can taste tomato salads and vegetable curry pies, with advice on how to cook it themselves in future.

Food, diet and Glasgow are complicated issues, according to Mr Todd.

“There are people who experience food insecurity but will spend money on ordering a takeaway – I don’t have an opinion or judgement on that.

“However in modern society I think there is a disconnect between food production and how food is grown. It’s a common trope flung at people on lower incomes that they don’t know how to budget, or how to cook, but our food system has been transformed in the past 40 years with the growth of supermarkets.

“Unless you’re in a part of the city like Hyndland, you aren’t going to easily find grocers around you any more.”

Dr Garcia says the impact of food insecurity is not just measured by weight gain and heart disease.

“Covid exacerbated a lot of issues, with people constrained to their houses. Community spirit has completely eroded over the years.

“The idea of a place where you pick up a couple of items you need is something we need to bring back.”

Yet despite this, Mr Todd says he is hopeful, both for the university research and for the panty’s own plans.

“There is no reason Glasgow can’t have a vibrant market scene. I feel a responsibility to see this work, because if we can demonstrate in some way, shape or form that this is a good thing to have then it could be transformative for the whole city.”