Food banks: Understanding their role in the food insecure population in the UK

Abstract

The present paper reviews the growing body of literature on food insecurity and food bank use in the UK. It provides an overview of food insecurity in this context, followed by a description of the emergence of food banks, highlighting how any role that food banks play in the food insecure population is limited. Data on food insecurity and food bank use suggest many people experiencing food insecurity do not receive help from food banks. To better understand the factors influencing the relationship between food insecurity and food bank use, a conceptual framework is outlined, suggesting the relationship is far from straightforward and contingent on many factors. The nature and availability of food banks and other local support services and individual-level factors influence the likelihood of food banks being used in the context of food insecurity. Then, the extent to which food banks can impact food insecurity is also dependent on the quantity and quality of food distributed, as well as other support services offered from food banks. Closing reflections highlight rising living costs and food banks reporting that they do not have capacity to cope with increasing demand, underscoring the need for policy interventions. Reliance on food banks to respond to food insecurity may ultimately impede formulation of effective policy interventions to reduce food insecurity, giving the illusion of widespread available support, whilst food insecurity persists among those receiving help from food banks and those who experience food insecurity but do not use food banks.

What qualitative research can tell us about food and nutrition security in the UK and why we should pay attention to what it is telling us

“…example, research with people living with diabetes indicates that food-insecure patients have much poorer outcomes compared to those who are food secure (31,(97)(98)(99) . It has been argued that the UK's reliance on food banks, as a societal response to food insecurity, gives the illusion of universally available support, while food insecurity continues to persist among those receiving help from food banks, including many people with health conditions (88,100) .This may ultimately impede the formulation of effective policy interventions to reduce food insecurity amongst who should be assured access to the best nutrition possible, and not left to cope with the vagaries of the precarious and unsustainable food banking system we have all come to rely on. If we accept that the food insecurity is affecting more people that might appear to be the case, it seems more urgent than ever that health professionals are sensitised to this possibility (including nutrition professionals and researchers), and consider the implications in research and clinical practice.…”

“…That an individual's food 'choices' are determined by someone else means having little or no actual choice per se but are determined (choice edited) by the available resources and decisions of others. This is a particular problem for people living with health conditions that need good dietary management (9,66,(85)(86)(87)(88) .…”

“…As children, we are all guided by our parents (regardless of social class) to become self-reliant as adults, and therefore, for most people, having to become dependent again, on others, and particularly charities such as food banks to survive, is profoundly counterintuitive to one's sense of self (91) . In the UK, dependence on food bank provision has increased and remains a principal response to the increasing number of people experiencing food insecurity (88) . Consequently, we may think that food banks have lost some of the previously reported stigma (92) , since the COVID pandemic when they became a lifeline to many.…”

“…Consequently, we may think that food banks have lost some of the previously reported stigma (92) , since the COVID pandemic when they became a lifeline to many. However, no matter how sensitively food parcels are given out, the notion of using one still evokes a sense of shame, embarrassment and resistance (67,93) ; and related to this, whilst food banks have grown in number and have importance as a societal coping strategy, they are still only an indication of a much bigger, hidden problem, as some people will choose not to use a food bank regardless of the extent of their food crisis (88) .…”