The Food Bank: A Safety-Net in Place of Welfare Security in Times of Austerity and the Covid-19 Crisis
Dave Beck, Hefin Gwilym
Abstract
The food bank has become a charitable safety-net for those who have been failed by the social security system in times of austerity and during the Covid-19 pandemic. In this article we evidence the rise of food banking in the context of declining social security, examining the decade of austerity in the UK and the Covid-19 period. We also contextualise the process of normalisation of food banks as a new safety-net in a reduced welfare state. We argue that the welfare state has failed to address a fundamental ‘Want’ – namely, food security.
Topics & Concepts
AusteritySafety netContext (archaeology)Welfare stateCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)WelfareFood securityPandemicSocial securityState (computer science)EconomicsBusinessEconomic policyPolitical scienceMarket economyGeographyAgriculturePoliticsMedicinePathologyLawDiseaseInfectious disease (medical specialty)AlgorithmComputer scienceArchaeologyFood Security and Health in Diverse PopulationsHomelessness and Social IssuesHousing, Finance, and Neoliberalism