The ethical dilemmas of foodbanking: an analysis of the More Than Food programme

Abstract

This article contributes to debates about the ethicality of foodbanks, a pervasive element of the UK welfare support infrastructure. Drawing on qualitative interview data, we use the concepts of ‘food poverty knowledge’ and ‘lay morality’ to analyse the narratives of those running a major Trussell Trust ‘foodbank-plus’ programme and explore inherent moral sentiments therein about how those who are in food poverty are understood. We identify a contradiction between foodbankers’ ‘structural’ understanding of poverty and the implicitly agential assumptions that underpin the programme. We suggest that this represents a precarious ethical position on which to base practice.

Towards measuring food insecurity stigma: Development and validation of the Food Insecurity Self- Stigma Scale and the Food Support Experiences Scale

“…Meanwhile, stereotypes of individuals suffering from a mental condition, as re ected in the items under the Stereotype endorsement factor, are different from stereotypes of individuals experiencing food insecurity. Therefore, items in the PaSS-24 classed under the Stereotype endorsement factor were adapted to commonly held stereotypes of individuals experiencing food insecurity, including laziness and aversion to work, poor personal choices, a lack of budgeting and cooking skills, and a societal expectation of gratitude for any and all support, despite its quality 18,20,24,44,45 . Items in the original PaSS-24 which were unrelated to the food insecurity context (e.g.…”

Children’s centres, families and food insecurity in times of crisis

“…First, we extend research on food insecurity in families. In recent years, a rapidly growing body of research has examined the growth of food aid and charity across the UK in the form of foodbanks (for example, Garthwaite, 2016a;Ghys, 2018;Price et al, 2020;Parr et al, 2021;Pybus et al, 2021). While important, this literature has focused less systematically on food insecurity among young children, its connections to educational inequalities and systems, or given sufficient attention to the emergence of charitable, institutional and organisational responses to food insecurity beyond foodbanks.…”