Food Bank Free Britain? Dignity, Poverty and the Future of Food Support

Saturday 10 October, 1pm-2.30pm, Lecture Room (Fisher Street entrance), Lewes Town Hall, 1pm-2.30 pm, FREE – no booking required

Drawing on new research from the Alliance for Dignified Food Support and its national ‘Foodbank Free Britain’ campaign, this public discussion led by an expert panel explores what a future beyond food banks could look like and how to end the exploitation of community food support by central government and the supermarket industry.

Britain faces a stark contradiction. In one of the world’s wealthiest countries, millions of people continue to experience food insecurity, while emergency food aid has become an increasingly normal part of everyday life. Consequently, food banks and community food projects – many run by volunteers – are carrying responsibilities that were never intended to fall to charities alone.

Bringing together leading national experts in food insecurity, welfare policy, community food systems and public health, alongside experts with direct experience of using food banks and emergency food support, this discussion will examine the human, social and economic costs of our current approach.

The panel will explore the concepts of “hunger trauma” and “moral injury”, highlighting the impact of food insecurity on both those seeking support and the volunteers and workers trying to meet rising demand.  The event will also consider the role of major supermarkets in the food aid system, including new evidence suggesting significant spending by food support organisations within supermarket supply chains.

There will also be  plenty of opportunity to look beyond charity and crisis response to ask a bigger question: what would it take to create communities where everyone can access food with dignity, choice and security, and where food banks are no longer needed?