The Food Museum

Analysis

The Food Museum is a registered charity in England and Wales, based in Suffolk. It was registered in December 1985, 41 years ago. Its declared purposes cover education/training, disability, arts/culture/heritage/science and environment/conservation/heritage, which this site groups under disability. Legally it is a charitable company (Companies House number 01819676). It says it provides buildings/facilities/open space and sponsors or undertakes research.

In the financial year ending March 2025, The Food Museum reported income of £2.1m and spending of £1.7m, spending 82% of its income. Across the 5 years on record, from March 2021 to March 2025, income grew from £797k to £2.1m (+159%), an average of +27% a year. The sharpest change came in the year to March 2022, when income rose by 104%. Over the whole period it spent 84% of the income it received.

Among 12,871 England and Wales charities whose main cause is disability and that reported income, The Food Museum sits at the 96th percentile: it is larger than about 96% of them. Against every charity in England and Wales with reported income it ranks in the 96th percentile. Charities of a similar size with the same main cause include Dewis Centre for Independent Living (£2.1m), The Medway League of Friends (£2.1m) and Oxfordshire Crossroads (£2.1m).

In its latest detailed accounts, income came from charitable activities 78%, trading 17% and donations and legacies 2.2%. Charitable activities took 77% of spending and raising funds 21%. Reserves of £277k would cover about 2 months of spending at that rate. It employed 45 people.