For nearly 20 years, The Food Chain has been changing and saving the lives of people living with HIV, by providing nourishing food and access to nutritional information to help people regain their health and stay well.

This practical approach to fighting HIV includes the delivery of around 1,000 free meals every weekend in London to a diverse group of people in real need. Food is carefully prepared by an army of trained volunteers, in one of six borrowed kitchens, with each meal individually tailored to take full account of a person’s cultural and medical requirements. Wholesome, hot and cold meals containing essential nutrients are also provided for carers and family members.

A Grocery Box service, providing nutritious food each week, is offered to service users unable to shop for themselves and is delivered directly to their door. For those people just out of hospital, at risk of malnutrition or in a difficult financial situation, The Food Chain also provides bespoke Emergency Hampers for a month, to assist them back on their feet. All services are provided free of charge.

Thanks to the introduction of effective treatments, our service users are living longer, healthier lives today and this has led to an even greater demand for our core services. It has also led to a need for the development of additional services, to assist people back to full health and independent living.

‘Positive Eating’ will see the introduction of nutrition classes for service users in various locations across London. These interactive cookery classes will offer practical tips, advice and nutritional information to service users who are well enough to shop and cook for themselves.

A new ‘Supported Shopping’ service offers one-to-one home based support, advice and practical assistance for service users who require a greater level of assistance. All of our services are delivered with minimal overheads due to the involvement of nearly 1000 specially trained volunteers.

Good nutrition is vital for people living with HIV. Antiretroviral drugs can control HIV infection, but without a diet of good food, the immune system cannot effectively rebuild itself and the body cannot fight infections, weight loss and muscle wasting. Facial wasting as a result of lipodystrophy (a side effect of some drug regimes) and other visible signs of illness can lead to stigmatisation, discrimination and isolation for many service users. Opportunistic infections as a result of HIV infection can lead to complications such as sores, loss of appetite and loss of motivation, affecting a person’s ability to eat and their incentive to buy food. Many find themselves housebound as a result of TB or other highly infectious diseases.

Using the expertise and detailed information that has been collated over the years, The Food Chain is working to make nutritional information and recipes available to anyone, in the format of simple fact sheets, which will soon be available to download from it’s website www.foodchain.org.uk

The work of The Food Chain has wide ranging benefits:

i. Service users see an increase in overall health, motivation, life expectancy and in their understanding of the benefits of nutrition; many find it easier to adhere to medical regimes often inspiring them to live a healthier life and return to health.

ii. Families and carers benefit from knowing that advice and support is on hand, and are given a break from cooking by our weekly meal services.

iii. Volunteers feel a sense of pride, achievement and personal growth whilst giving something back to the community.

iv. Finally, we estimate that the wider community benefits substantially each year by the reduced risk of costly hospital stays.

Good nutrition is crucial in the battle against HIV – and The Food Chain is proud of its unique role feeding the fight.

For further information on this press statement, please contact Rhiannon McCorkindale or Andrew Davies at The Food Chain on 020 7354 0333 or info@foodchain.org.uk