First year with the Romanian Deep Engagement Partner

The Romanian Deep Engagement Partner (DEP) have completed the first year of their 3-year programme.

Focus group 1 topic: growing your own food in the UK compared to Romania

Objectives

• Understand Romanian residents' knowledge and experience of growing food
• Compare practices in Romania with those in the UK
• Explore attitudes and barriers to growing food in the UK
• Identify practical steps to support families in growing produce

Findings

• Most participants learned gardening from parents and grandparents and recalled foraging, fresh produce, and strong food traditions – growing food was normal and part of daily life
• Strong distrust of UK supermarket produce, which was described as tasteless and "plastic‑like", and there were concerns about chemicals and lower post‑Brexit standards
• Preference for Asian supermarkets, and they believe that Romanian soil ("black earth") produces better flavour
• Interest in growing food in the UK, but people have limited knowledge, and assume that UK soil would not produce flavourful vegetables – learning about allotments surprised participants
• Participants want to know exactly what they are eating and prefer food closer to the source

Recommendations

• Support residents in joining allotment waiting lists and co‑rent plots and preparing micro‑plots through Unity Hubb for upcoming growing seasons
• Help families get Romanian and Polish seeds and share opportunities and guidance through WhatsApp and community networks
• Provide practical, hands‑on support to encourage home growing, for example, grow boxes, micro‑plots, and seasonal guidance

Focus group 2 topic: healthy eating in UK schools

Objectives

• Understand Romanian parents' expectations of school food and their views on UK school meals and nearby food options
• Understand their role in managing children's diets
• Identify challenges and improvements for school food systems based on cultural experiences

Findings

• In Romania, food was either brought from home or was very simple (such as milk and a croissant)
• In Romania, meals were culturally valued, fresh, and nutritious; however, UK school meals were described as fried, oily, spicy, processed, and lacking nutritional value
• Many parents provide packed lunches, but children often request junk food after seeing classmates eating chips, fast food, or ice cream.
• Families of children with disabilities struggle with schools not supporting dietary needs
• UK schools make it easy to access junk food; for example, ice cream vans are sometimes parked outside.
• Some children refuse school meals, and parents worry about weight gain from fatty and oily foods, so families try to balance with healthier dinners at home
• Parents feel UK schools do not understand their expectations for healthy, balanced meals, and that children are losing their connection to traditional, home‑cooked food
• A positive example from Luton showed monthly parental menu consultations, which parents valued

Recommendations

• Provide healthier, more culturally diverse school meals and restrict access to unhealthy foods near schools
• Increase parental involvement in menu planning by holding meetings and being transparent about menu decisions
• Offer cooking or "survival skills" workshops for children to help them learn practical nutrition and connect with healthier traditions
• Improve dietary support for children with specific needs, particularly those with disabilities

Focus group 3 topic: fast food culture in the UK - how have diets changed since arriving?

Objectives

• Explore Romanian migrants' perceptions of UK fast‑food culture compared to Romania
• Understand fast food's impact on family health and children's habits
• Identify cultural differences in food quality and convenience
• Collect community‑led ideas for improving local food environments

Findings

• Fast food is far more common in the UK than in Romania, and UK options are deep‑fried, processed, and inconsistent in quality
• Children eat more fast food because it is available near schools and local shops
• Time pressures in the UK make quick food more common, in contrast to Romania's daily home‑cooked meals
• Fast food is not seen as "tempting" but as a habit encouraged by the UK's convenience culture
• Families report weight gain, digestive issues, fatigue, and children rejecting home‑cooked meals after exposure to chips and burgers
• UK schools and surrounding areas offer easy access to fried foods and ice cream, and advertising and delivery apps further normalise takeaways
• In Romania, fast food is infrequent, linked to special occasions, and home cooking remains the primary source of food
• Participants feel the UK's convenience‑driven culture conflicts with Romanian values of fresh, home‑prepared meals

Recommendations

• Limit children's access to unhealthy food by regulating junk food around schools and improving local food environments
• Increase the availability of fresh food markets in deprived neighbourhoods and reduce the concentration of fast‑food shops
• Promote public discussions on healthy eating and urban food planning
• Support families to preserve food traditions by encouraging cooking, community food workshops, and culturally aligned nutrition guidance

Focus group 4 topic: access to food in neighbourhoods

Objectives

• Understand which food shops participants have locally
• Evaluate access to fresh and healthy foods
• Explore the role of Romanian andEastern European shops
• Identify what makes it hard to access supermarkets, for example, transport, distance, and affordability, and highlight gaps in neighbourhood food provision

Findings

• Participants mostly rely on Romanian, Polish, and other Eastern European shops for their main food shopping because these are nearby, culturally relevant, and offer preferred products
• Asian supermarkets are also used for fresher‑tasting produce, and large supermarkets are used only for items not found in ethnic shops
• Corner shops are used least because of high prices and a lack of fresh food
• Ethnic shops provide good access to fresh vegetables, fruit, meat, bakery items, and traditional foods, perceived as higher quality, tastier, and more nutritious than supermarket produce
• Some specific foods from Romania are still hard to source locally
• Supermarket fruit and vegetables were widely described as flavourless and visually "picture‑perfect" but low-quality
• Ethnic shops can be slightly more expensive, but participants felt the quality justified the cost – these shops are usually within 5 to 20 minutes' walking distance, while big supermarkets are often far, requiring a car to get to them
• Food quality, taste, and authenticity are deeply tied to cultural identity and wellbeing as ethnic shops provide not just ingredients, but a sense of continuity with home traditions

Recommendations

• Advocate for improved access to local bakeries, butchers, and market stalls in migrant‑dense neighbourhoods
• Use insights to shape future community food and nutrition programmes
• Share findings with public health and local stakeholders to support wider work on food environments and reducing health inequalities

Page last updated: 12 February 2026