Severe food insecurity in the UK is near record levels. The proliferation of food banks and other charitable food aid is unacceptable in a country as wealthy as the UK.
FareShare and its network have a unique reach and while people struggle to afford food, we will always continue to support affected communities. This model helps to both meet people’s immediate need for food and support them to make the most of their resources, while also providing wrap around support to help with other issues they may be facing.
However, the redistribution of surplus food is not a lasting solution to food insecurity, as it does not address the economic and structural factors behind poverty. The government must strike a balance in preventing the institutionalisation of the food bank model whilst maintaining and nurturing the social benefits that the community sector brings through food.
People should engage with the charitable food sector through choice, not necessity.
The UK Government should:
- Develop a UK-wide plan to end the need for food banks and other forms of charitable food aid. This should build on the plan recently published by the Scottish Government that encompasses action to prevent emergency situations, as well to ensure effective and dignified responses to food insecurity.
- Pilot and embed local ‘cash first’ approaches as part of this plan, working with food redistribution charities, and front-line advice and anti-poverty organisations.
- Consider reforms to social security payments such as an Essentials Guarantee as outlined by The Joseph Rowntree Foundation and the Trussell Trust.63
- Continue to support a wide range of community food settings, recognising their broader contribution to health and wellbeing, and their ability to combat social isolation and meet specific community needs.


What would it cost?
Developing a UK-wide plan could cost from £70,000 for an internal government team over six months, to £390,000 for an external team working for over a year. To enact the ideas set out in the Scottish plan, it would cost £498 million per year, with £197 million of that going to store cards or cash alternatives to emergency food parcels. This cost could reduce if other measures to address poverty are successful. An Essentials Guarantee would cost the UK Treasury £19 billion a year.64
References
Joseph Rowntree Foundation (2024) Guarantee our Essentials: reforming Universal Credit to ensure we can all afford the essentials in hard times. Available at: https://www.jrf.org.uk/social-security/guarantee-our-essentials-reforming-universal-credit-to-ensure-we-can-all-afford-the ;
The Trussell Trust (2024) Guarantee Our Essentials. Available at: https://www.trusselltrust.org/get-involved/campaigns/guarantee-our-essentials/
Joseph Rowntree Foundation (2024) Guarantee our Essentials: reforming Universal Credit to ensure we can all afford the essentials in hard times. Available at: https://www.jrf.org.uk/social-security/guarantee-our-essentials-reforming-universal-credit-to-ensure-we-can-all-afford-the