PUBLIC HEALTH
FOOD BANKS: A GROWING DEMAND Emma Berry Associate Nutritionist (Registered) Emma is working in Research and Development and is enjoying writing freelance nutrition articles.
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Food banks provide an important emergency service for many families and individuals. Recently, the media has highlighted the growing need and use of food banks in the UK due to the benefit system failing to cover the cost of living.1 The Trussell Trust has a large network of food banks across the UK which provide emergency food parcels to individuals or families in need.2 This is a major operation with food donations being brought to the food banks and then organised and stored. People who use the food banks exchange a voucher for an emergency parcel.2,3 This covers food for three days and the food bank staff can signpost individuals to services, such as financial advice, if they need additional help.2,3 The food banks are only possible through generous donations, support and time given by individuals and organisations.3 The Trust’s foodbank network provided 658,048 emergency supplies to people in crisis between April and September 2018, a 13% increase on the same period in 2017.2 The Trussell Trust also has an ongoing programme called ‘It’s More Than Food’, which works to identify and address the problems resulting in ‘food insecurity’, ie, consistent limited access to adequate food by a lack of money and other resources, and those requiring emergency food provisions.10 This programme started in 2014 and includes a number of schemes, such as holiday clubs, working to reduce fuel poverty, finance support and courses on food budgeting and cooking skills.10 COMMUNITY FOOD INITIATIVES NORTH EAST (CFINE)
With the ever-changing UK financial climate, running food banks has required an adaptation to support them and their charitable efforts. This involves the running of social enterprises and projects to cover the running costs. One example 10
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of a food bank that aims to be selfsustaining is Community Food Initiatives North East (CFINE) in Aberdeen. CFINE is the lead member of Food Poverty Action Aberdeen (FPAA) - a group of organisations working to support individuals experiencing food insecurity.4 CFINE runs numerous social enterprises from which the income is used to support local social and community projects. Most of the businesses and social projects are related to food.4 These projects include selling healthy snacks and produce to offices, along with working to improve access of fruits and vegetables to communities with limited supply.4,5 CFINE offers numerous services to help individuals who have problems which result in long-term food insecurity. Services include financial advice about debt, budgeting and help with benefits.4,5 They offer help and training on eating on a budget, including reducing food waste and how to cook healthy foods.4,5 They are also a partner for AHEAD+ (Action Health Education/ Employment Against Disadvantage Plus), which provides coordinated help for individuals on education, housing and employment for disadvantaged communities.5 CFINE identifies that food insecurity is often part of a larger issue, and without support, food insecurity will continue to be a problem.4,5 LIMITATIONS OF EMERGENCY FOOD PROVISIONS
Emergency food provisions are supplied through donations, but these parcels often need to consist of food that can be stored for a long period of time without refrigeration or the need to cook.
Individuals who require these food provisions could be limited in the cooking equipment that they have access to. This can make healthy eating challenging, given the limited resources and likely isn’t the first priority for many in these situations. It is important to establish that emergency food provisions do not just include food - they also include items such as sanitary products. CFINE runs the ‘Access to Free Sanitary Products’ which was a pilot scheme,4,5 leading to the Scottish Government’s decision to provide free sanitary products for individuals who cannot afford them.9 Although some may think that this does not have an impact on food insecurity, a decision to reduce any regular monetary outgoings could have a massive impact on some families who are struggling, allowing them to put this money towards food. THE IMPACT OF FOOD INSECURITY
Unfortunately, food insecurity is on the rise. FPAA’s report from July 2017 found that since November 2016, they had seen a large rise in the demand for emergency food provisions.4 In the North East of Scotland, the downturn of the oil industry in recent years has resulted in 10s of thousands of individuals losing their jobs.4 many individuals have struggled to pay their mortgages and have other financial burdens on top, resulting in a high demand for emergency food provisions.4 Although this group of individuals is not likely to be seen in other parts of the country, nationally, food insecurity is on the rise.8 The Trussell Trust’s Annual Report from March 2017 found that, during the previous year, they had distributed over one million emergency food provisions, which was a 6% increase on the year before that.8 As mentioned earlier in this article, recent figures from the Trust show a 13% increase in 2018.2 The Annual Report stated that low income benefit delays due to the introduction of Universal Credit and charges were the main reasons for referrals to their food banks.8 FPAA also identified the changes in the benefit system to be a major issue and a reason for individuals using food banks.4 Loopstra et al9 found that as the number of benefit sanctions rose, the number of emergency food provisions also rose, although this may not be due to the sanctions alone. Further research would be beneficial to determine the current food security climate in the UK and why people turn to food banks.
Although the UK hasn’t published extensive reports on food insecurity and food bank usage, other countries have. A study by Kaur et al10 examined the relationship of food insecurity in children and the risk of obesity by examining the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data of 2001-2010. The study found a significant relationship between food insecurity of children aged six to 11 years and obesity, whereby a higher level of food insecurity was linked to a higher risk of obesity.10 If this link between food insecurity and obesity is also found in children in the UK, then the government’s current plan to tackle childhood obesity11 could be failing families and children who are most in need. Although the Healthy Start scheme offers vouchers for families so that they can get fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables, it requires individuals to apply online. It also limits individuals to fresh or frozen foods only, but this assumes that the person or families can store such foods.12 The Trussell Trust’s Annual Report from 2017 showed that of all the emergency food supplies handed out in the previous year, 436,938 went to children - which is approximately one third.8 Perhaps, working towards having healthy options for all families and reducing food insecurity could have an impact on obesity levels and health outcomes for these children in the future. CONCLUSION
The importance of food banks for struggling communities is clear. The current benefits system is resulting in more individuals struggling and needing emergency food provisions. As food banks rely on donations and volunteers, it can be hard to meet demand. Food banks, such as CFINE, are coming up with innovative ways to provide services which allow them to reinvest any profits back into their services to support communities and individuals who are struggling. Food banks are also working with partners to offer support in tackling the problems that result in individuals needing emergency food provisions, including services such as financial or debt management advice. Although these services are offered to support individuals and families in becoming food secure, there is limited research into food insecurity in the UK. Further research into food insecurity and the current benefit’s system’s impact on this issue could be beneficial to identify possible solutions.
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