Nourishing Neighbourhoods: healthier food, closer to communities
Through Nourishing Neighbourhoods, EIT Food, Impact on Urban Health, ROTA, RSSL and Reformul8 (Food and Drink Federation Scotland) brought together entrepreneurs, communities and technical expertise to put healthier food innovation into practice..
Can healthier food still taste like home? Reducing salt, sugar or fat without losing the taste and cultural identity people value is no simple task. Nourishing Neighbourhoods (NN) supported eight small food businesses to explore how familiar foods could be reformulated while keeping taste, affordability and cultural relevance at their heart.
Healthy food for all: a community challenge
The food we consume has a significant impact on our health, yet many families face barriers to accessing healthier versions of the foods they enjoy. These barriers extend beyond individual choice: income, affordability, time and the wider food environment all shape what people can buy and eat. Lower-income families face challenges, as healthier foods can be more expensive and require more preparation time than convenience foods.[1]
In the UK, around one in seven households experienced food insecurity in 2025, affecting approximately seven million adults and three million children. Lower-income families would need to spend around 70% of their disposable income to meet healthy eating guidelines, compared with 12% for wealthier families. Children in poorer areas are also five times more likely to be living with obesity than those in wealthier neighbourhoods. [2]
This is where Nourishing Neighbourhoods saw an opportunity for change. EIT Food, Impact on Urban Health, ROTA, RSSL and Reformul8 (Food and Drink Federation Scotland) brought communities and food manufacturers together to reimagine familiar foods. By putting residents’ tastes, cultures and priorities at the heart of reformulation, the project explored how healthier choices could become more accessible—without compromising on taste, affordability or enjoyment.
Supporting small businesses to create big change
A number of small businesses took part, receiving support to explore product reformulation alongside technical guidance, specialist expertise and collaborative workshops.
The businesses ranged from West African cooking pastes and Ghanaian sauces to Jamaican-inspired patties, ice cream and gluten-free doughnuts. Their products and ambitions differed, but they shared a challenge: making meaningful improvements without losing the characteristics that made their food distinctive.
The programme produced measurable changes: Kwikish reduced the salt in its Jollof Paste by 50%, moving the product from High Fat Salt and Sugar (HFSS) to non-High Fat Salt and Sugar (HFSS); The Vegan Patty Lady reduced the fat in its pastry by 30%, with calories falling from 376 to 326; Borough 22 Doughnuts reduced sugar in its frosting by 30%, using chicory root fibre.
These results showed how specialist reformulation support can help small businesses translate ambitions around nutrition into concrete product changes.
Eight businesses, different routes to change
1. Kwikish
Founded by Zikora Enweani and Ade Fola-Alade in 2024, Kwikish makes authentic West African cooking easier through convenient products such as its vegan Jollof Paste. Created for busy households wanting traditional flavours without hours in the kitchen, the brand has already served over 1,800 customers and sold more than 8,000 jars.
Through Nourishing Neighbourhoods, Kwikish worked with RSSL to reformulate its flagship paste - a jollof paste - creating a more scalable recipe while building expertise in manufacturing and product development. Kwikish plans to expand its range and retail presence, including a major UK retailer launch.
2. The Vegan Patty Lady
Natasha Orumbie founded The Vegan Patty Lady in 2023 after struggling to find vegan patties that captured the warm Jamaican flavours she grew up with. Starting with homemade patties and almost no budget, Natasha bootstrapped the business before securing funding, certifications and investment. The brand now creates Jamaican-inspired vegan curry patties, including gluten-free options.
Through NN, Natasha worked with RSSL experts to reformulate the pastry, reducing saturated fat while increasing protein and fibre and moving it out of the HFSS category. The business is preparing to relaunch its improved patties, develop new flavours and introduce nut-free products.
“Working with EIT Food gave us the technical expertise and support to do what we'd always wanted, make our product genuinely healthier without losing what makes it great. We set out to reduce saturated fat and exit the HFSS category, and we achieved that and more, improving protein, fibre, and sustainability credentials along the way. It's been a transformative project for The Vegan Patty Lady.”
3. Veafy
Founded by Tendai Taruvinga in 2020, Veafy creates frozen, African-inspired, plant-rich ready meals designed to bring vibrant flavours to busy households. Recognising the underrepresentation of African cuisine alongside the growth of plant-based diets in Europe and the UK, Tendai saw an opportunity to showcase Africa’s traditionally plant-rich food cultures through convenient, gluten- and nut-free meals.
Through Nourishing Neighbourhoods, EIT Food connected Veafy with experts who reviewed its ingredients and nutritional profiles, helping refine its products and strengthen the foundations for sustainable production growth. Veafy is now expanding its reach through events across the UK, including new locations such as Newquay and Bath.
4. Ujima Ice Cream
Founded by Yinka Koomson in 2024, Ujima Ice Cream celebrates African culture through ice cream inspired by African flavours. The idea emerged during Yinka’s maternity leave, driven by her desire for her children and future generations to see African culture represented in everyday food. Starting with home recipe development and local pop-ups, Ujima has expanded into festivals, events and corporate bookings.
NN’s support provided expertise in product formulation, nutritional information and cost optimisation, while connecting Yinka with potential manufacturers. With improved retail readiness and profitability, Ujima is working towards nationwide retail and will feature on national TV in 2026.
“The EIT project has been a timely positive driver for Ujima Ice Cream, enabling us to achieve important milestones in our growth journey at pace and get closer to our ambition for nationwide retail listing.”
5. Borough22
Ryan Panchoo founded Borough 22 after his two children were diagnosed with multiple food allergies and he struggled to find delicious treats they could safely enjoy. What began with homemade recipes grew into an award-winning brand creating plant-based, certified gluten-free doughnuts designed for people with diverse dietary requirements.
Through EIT Food, Borough 22 worked with RSSL to explore reducing sugar and fat while protecting the flavour and texture customers love. The collaboration also examined toppings, fillings, manufacturing efficiency and shelf life. With stronger technical knowledge, Borough 22 is now scaling production, developing healthier formulations and expanding its retail and food service presence while continuing to innovate inclusively.
Aftrad Village Kitchen
Founded by Joana Yeboah-Acheampong, Aftrad Village Kitchen shares authentic Ghanaian food through spice blends, ingredients, recipes, cooking classes and educational resources. Growing up in Ghana, Joana experienced food at the heart of family celebrations, but after moving to London she worried traditional flavours and cooking knowledge could be lost. She created the business to preserve this heritage, reconnect the African diaspora with Ghanaian cuisine and introduce it to wider audiences.
Nourishing Neighbourhoods connected Aftrad with experts who helped reduce salt in its jollof sauce while maintaining authentic flavour. The business now plans to expand its products, workshops, retail reach and partnerships
7. Chili Maven
Founded by Alexa Fernandez, Chili Maven brings authentic Mexican flavours to the UK through vegan condiments and sauces, including salsa macha made directly in Mexico. Inspired by Alexa’s love of salsa macha and its limited availability in the UK, she spent a year testing recipes before finding a small family manufacturer in Mexico that could recreate the product authentically.
With little previous food-industry experience, Alexa used EIT Food’s support to develop her knowledge of manufacturing standards, quality control and recipe consistency, strengthening her relationship with producers. Chili Maven plans to launch new products, expand into major UK retailers such as Ocado and eventually enter the US market.
“EIT Food has been amazing to work with. I don't come from the food & drink industry and the reality is that you don't know what you don't know. The EIT Food programme taught me a lot about food manufacturing and helped me set up a robust quality control process with my manufacturer to ensure our products are consistent and made with the highest standards.”
8. Easton Chilli
Founded by Rikki Tooley during the COVID-19 pandemic, Easton Chilli grew from a kitchen-table chilli jam project into a multi-award-winning Bristol business producing handmade chilli jams, hot sauces and condiments. Its range combines global flavours, bold ingredients and fermentation techniques to bring creative heat to everyday meals.
Through EIT Food’s support, Easton Chilli received specialist guidance to improve fermentation and production processes, strengthen food safety systems and prepare for larger-scale manufacturing, including support with HACCP documentation and production planning. The business is now focused on increasing capacity, expanding its fermented chilli range and securing new retail and wholesale opportunities while continuing to innovate sustainably.
Nourishing neighbourhoods beyond UK
These success stories show what can happen when diverse entrepreneurs are given the right support to turn their ideas into healthier, more accessible and inclusive food choices. As a pilot project, Nourishing Neighbourhoods has demonstrated the potential of combining founders’ creativity and cultural heritage with technical expertise to create meaningful change.
The ambition is to build on the pilot and expand its impact across Europe. By connecting more entrepreneurs and communities with expertise, investment, manufacturing capabilities, partnerships and routes to market, Nourishing Neighbourhoods has the potential to help diverse food businesses thrive.
About Healthier Lives Through Food
Nutritious, diverse food choices can benefit people and planet, yet healthy food choices are not accessible to all consumers, nor viable for industry at scale due to affordability, lack of awareness and profitability.
Working as a community, EIT Food aims to increase the uptake of balanced, sustainable and healthy diets. We raise awareness about the relationship between nutrition and health, provide support for innovative solutions for affordable products and offer policy interventions that prioritise soil health, nutrition and food education. Dive deeper into our website to learn more about one of our focuses.
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References:
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. (n.d.). Healthy food environment. The Nutrition Source: https://nutritionsource.hsph.harvard.edu/healthy-food-environment/
- The Food Foundation. (2025, January 29). The Broken Plate 2025: https://foodfoundation.org.uk/publication/broken-plate-2025
