After more than two decades of work campaigning on food poverty in the UK, Sustain: the alliance for better food and farming takes a step back to reflect on where we are, what we have learned, and what next. The Sustain alliance first came together 25 years ago to champion food system change. Its founding purposes were to champion the policies and practices that would enable a healthy, accessible and sustainable food supply. Yet throughout, food poverty has remained persistent and intractable, as has the continued shocking rise in need for emergency food banks.