Food insecurity, or food poverty, is the inability to access a sufficient quality or quantity of food in socially acceptable ways – and it’s a widespread issue in the UK. According to the Trussell Trust, more than 14 million people in the UK faced hunger last year due to lack of money, with one in six households facing food insecurity. Children are particularly at risk of food insecurity, with one in four children now growing up in food insecure households – rising to one in three for children under five. As the cost of food and other living expenses continues to rise, it’s unlikely that this issue is going away anytime soon.
The impact of food poverty
Food poverty is more than just going hungry. It has wider implications for the health, wellbeing and finances of households, as well as a knock-on effect on public services and other organisations. The consequences of food insecurity include:
-
- Poor physical health – Food poverty is linked to health issues including malnutrition, obesity, heart disease and type 2 diabetes. For children, poor diet can stunt growth and delay development.
-
- Worsening mental health – It’s estimated that households facing food insecurity are twice as likely to have a mental health condition.
-
- Lower educational attainment – Children eligible for free school meals have lower GCSE attainment – just 43.6% achieved a pass in both English and Maths GCSE, compared to 72.3% of children not in receipt of free school meals.
-
- Pressure on public services – Poor mental and physical health caused by food insecurity puts pressure on the NHS. It’s estimated that malnutrition currently costs the NHS £19.6 billion a year, and that by 2050, obesity will cost the NHS £9.7 billion a year.
-
- Increased demand for support – Rising food poverty means more households seeking support from charities, food banks, public sector organisations and housing providers.
Tackling food poverty
Grant giving organisations are often on the front line when tackling poverty, providing vital support to at-risk beneficiaries. Whether that’s providing food vouchers or support with other living expenses to help households in crisis or building long term financial resilience, housing providers, local authorities and charities have a key role to play in preventing food poverty and supporting at-risk households.
But no organisation can tackle this issue alone. FFBS partner with grant-making organisations to simplify the distribution of vital grant support, including food vouchers to prevent people in need facing food insecurity. In the last twelve months, we have worked with grant-making organisations to distribute £66 million worth of food vouchers to communities nationwide.
We also work with organisations to provide other forms of grant support, recognising that food poverty is often linked with other forms of poverty, such as appliance poverty. If households can’t afford to replace appliances like ovens and fridges when they break, this forces a reliance on more expensive convivence foods, or highly processed shelf stable foods, trapping households in food poverty. Therefore, we recognise the importance of providing a breadth and flexibility of support.
Delivering food vouchers with Durham County Council
The ability to provide a fast and efficient distribution of key crisis support is a vital frontline strategy to tackling food poverty, and we work with a number of organisations across the housing, charity and public sector to offer this type of support. FFBS have partnered with Durham County Council’s discretionary awards team for several years to support households in the region. During the pandemic, the council wanted to extend its support to families in need and partnered with FFBS to deliver food vouchers to families with children and young people in receipt of free school meals. The project continued and now supports 24,000 families up to three times a year with supermarket vouchers. This project offers a lifeline for low-income families struggling to put food on the table, tackling food poverty in the region.
Want to learn more about food poverty?
We’re proud to be sponsoring the HACT anti-poverty series, which aims to reshape the social housing sector’s approach to poverty. The next webinar in the series will be exploring food poverty, with organisations from across the housing sector coming together to share their experiences of food poverty and discuss solutions to tackle this issue. Find out more about the series and sign up for the webinar here.
Can we partner with your organisation to tackle food poverty through the distribution of food vouchers and other grant support? Fill out the form below and our team will be in touch.