Lonely Nation – How to end the cultural as well as the economic need for food banks

Lonely Nation Part 4 considers how the government can fulfil its ambition to end mass dependence on emergency food parcels. To achieve this, it argues that the government must address the root causes of poverty, and the non-financial drivers of food bank use.

Food bank use has hit a record high. In 2022/23, 2.3 million people lived in a household that had used a food bank within the last 12 months. CSJ polling reveals 59 per cent of people who have used a food bank in the last year expect to access food aid this Christmas.

The government currently spends hundreds of millions of pounds on the provision of food aid. In the fourth round of the Household Support Fund from 2023 to 2024, 24 per cent was spent on food support (non-free school meals support in the holidays). This equates to £202 million over the yearly period.

Food bank use increased dramatically from the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, but it appears improbable that this can be solely explained by a sudden rise in poverty. CSJ analysis can reveal that household income for the poorest 20 per cent increased by 3.6 per cent from 2019/20 to 2020/21.Absolute and relative low income (before and after housing costs) and food insecurity also fell during the initial year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Why was there such a significant increase in food bank demand in a period where, supposably, food insecurity and poverty fell?

Most discussion on ending the need for food banks has focused on addressing insufficient income, particularly through the welfare system. This report argues that it is important to recognise other drivers of food bank use. Loneliness and social isolation are prime examples.

Whilst the majority of people we surveyed (63 per cent) said that they use a foodbank due to not being able to afford food, we identified a significant minority who report that isolation and lack of support networks are driving their food insecurity. People who use food banks are significantly more lonely than the general population. Just one in four people who use food banks (26 per cent) say they never feel lonely, compared to two in five adults across the general population (40 per cent). 71 per cent say they feel lonely at least some of the time, compared to 58 per cent of all adults. One in five (20 per cent) people who use food banks say that one reason for accessing food aid is because they have no family or friends able to support them. This compares to roughly six per cent of the whole UK population who say the same. 13 per cent of people who use food banks say they do so because they find good community there.

The relationship between loneliness, food bank use, and poverty is complex. Social isolation can be both an outcome of poverty as well as a driver of hardship. For instance, poverty may lead to isolation because limited resources restrict access to the spaces where people interact or reduce a person’s ability to host family and friends. Conversely, the absence of support networks and relationships can leave an individual more vulnerable to hardship. Without engaging with community, family and relational breakdown, any attempt to end the need for food banks will fail. This crisis is cultural as well as economic.