Food insecurity is rising across the UK, placing increasing pressure on individuals, families, and communities. National data shows that over 1 in 10 households struggle to afford or access sufficient food, with households with children disproportionately affected.
Recent figures indicate that food insecurity has more than doubled since 2021, and the number of people turning to food banks continues to grow each year. These pressures are intricately linked to wider inequalities, including low income, disability, insecure work, and rising living costs.
Many of the impacts of food insecurity remain hidden and feelings of shame and stigma are often associated with food bank use.
Food insecurity: Voices from the Foodbank Project brings the experiences of food bank users to the forefront, helping to build a deeper understanding of how food insecurity affects people’s physical and mental health, and what might help reduce negative impacts.
The research aimed to:
- Explore how individuals accessing food banks perceive food insecurity to impact their/their family’s day to day living/life
- Explore the impacts on health and well-being of food bank users and their families
- Understand what might mitigate negative impacts of food insecurity on the lives of food bank users
Data collection took place between Jan-March 2025 and included interviews with food bank users from three foodbanks in the Northwest of England and a workshop to review data findings with research participants.
This research project was conducted in collaboration with the Poverty Research Action Network (PRAN) and was co-produced with food bank organisations and involved two public advisors. Four research participants were also involved in co-producing animation research outputs to help disseminate findings.
Key outputs
Impacts on life, health and wellbeing of being food insecure: Insights from food bank users (full research report)
Voices from the Food Bank: Food Insecurity and Its Impacts: An animated summary of the key findings, illustrating the detrimental impacts that food insecurity can have on the lives of food bank users.
Voices from the Food Bank: Living with Food Insecurity: An animation based on six I-poems created from interview data, highlighting the emotional realities and challenges faced by those living with food insecurity.
Voices from the food Bank I-poem flip book: Full six I-poems highlighting how participants described their experiences.
For further information about the research please contact
Koser Khan, Senior Research Associate, ARC NWC
at Lancaster University Tel: 01524 522266
k.khan4@lancaster.ac.uk