A study of poverty and food insecurity in the UK November 2019 Filip Sosenko, Mandy Littlewood, Glen Bramley, Suzanne Fitzpatrick, Janice Blenkinsopp, Jenny Wood 02 Acknowledgements State of Hunger Acknowledgements The research team and the Trussell Trust are extremely grateful for those participating in this research, including: people referred to food banks; managers, staff and volunteers in food banks; key informants; and referring professionals. We would also like to thank those who kindly provided support and advice on the design and methodology for this study, including: project advisory board members; the Trussell Trust operations managers and area managers; the Trussell Trust network intelligence team; Dr Rachel Loopstra and the team from the pilot study; Sabine Goodwin (Independent Food Aid Network); Bournemouth Citizens Advice Bureau; Durham Foodbank and Dunfermline Foodbank; Joel Williams (Kantar Public); Professor Arnab Bhattacharjee (Heriot-Watt University); Dr Aaron Reeves (Oxford University); Dr Lisa Doyle (Refugee Council); Citizens Advice; and ASDA’s Fight Hunger Create Change partnership which supports this study. State of Hunger Contents 03 Contents Acknowledgements ........................................................................................... 02 Contents Contents ............................................................................................................. 03 Tables and Figures ............................................................................................. 05 Acronyms ........................................................................................................... 06 Glossary .............................................................................................................. 06 Summary ............................................................................................................ 09 Background and aims ..............................................................................................................................09 The scale and profile of hunger in the UK .............................................................................................10 Drivers of hunger in the UK ....................................................................................................................12 The experience of poverty and hunger .................................................................................................13 Chapter 1 Introduction ...................................................................................... 15 Key points ................................................................................................................................................15 Background ..............................................................................................................................................15 Study aims ................................................................................................................................................17 Report structure .......................................................................................................................................19 Chapter 2 Methods ............................................................................................ 20 Key points ................................................................................................................................................20 Overview ..................................................................................................................................................20 The definition of hunger and food insecurity .......................................................................................21 Quantitative research ..............................................................................................................................23 Qualitative research ................................................................................................................................25 Future research and updating ...............................................................................................................25 Chapter 3 Food insecurity: scale and profile .................................................... 26 Key points ................................................................................................................................................26 Introduction .............................................................................................................................................27 Food insecurity in the general population ............................................................................................27 Food insecurity among people referred to food banks ........................................................................31 04 Contents State of Hunger Chapter 4 Drivers of food bank use .................................................................. 54 Key points ................................................................................................................................................54 Introduction .............................................................................................................................................55 The wider poverty context ......................................................................................................................57 Welfare reform ........................................................................................................................................60 Immediate triggers of very low income: focus on the welfare safety net ...........................................62 Background drivers of food bank use ....................................................................................................79 Conclusion ...............................................................................................................................................91 Chapter 5 The experience of poverty and hunger ............................................ 93 Key points ................................................................................................................................................93 Introduction .............................................................................................................................................93 Context: the wider, ongoing experience of poverty .............................................................................94 The experience of lacking food and the impact on daily life ...............................................................95 Impact on physical and mental health ...................................................................................................96 Impact on children ..................................................................................................................................97 Coping with hunger and poverty ...........................................................................................................99 Conclusion .............................................................................................................................................102 Chapter 6 Conclusions ..................................................................................... 103 Key points ..............................................................................................................................................103 The scale of hunger in the UK and the profile of people affected by it .............................................104 Drivers of hunger in the UK ..................................................................................................................105 The experience of poverty and hunger................................................................................................107 Policy implications .................................................................................................................................108 References ........................................................................................................ 110 State of Hunger Tables and Figures 05 Tables and Figures Tables Table 3.1 Household composition among people referred to food banks in the Trussell Trust network and among all working age households in the UK .................................................................................................................................................................................................36 Table 3.2 Ethnicity of UK-born people referred to food banks in the Trussell Trust network and UK-born people in the working age UK population ..............................................................................................................................................................................................................38 Table 3.3 Economic circumstances of people referred to food banks in the Trussell Trust network .....................................................................40 Table 3.4 Working age people with selected household characteristics, by food bank use/low income household status, 2017/18 ................50 Table 3.5 Demographic profile of top 20 MSOAs compared to England, Census 2011 and IMD 2015 ...................................................................51 Table 3.6 Demographic profile of top 10 LADs compared to Great Britain ..............................................................................................................52