New film sheds light on food insecurity in the UK

The University has produced the film alongside work it is doing with charities to combat the problem.

“I was nervous coming here, I thought I had done something wrong… having to ask for food, your ego takes a battering.” – Father of two, using a food bank.

A new film by researchers at the University of Manchester documents the growing role of food banks in the UK and highlights the issue of food insecurity and how it can impact on the lives of vulnerable people.

Food insecurity - when people do not have the economic, social and physical resources to shop, cook and eat in order to ensure a sufficient supply of nutritionally appropriate food - is now more widespread than had previously been estimated.

The University of Manchester has responded to the problem by setting up a partnership with five local charities to focus on reducing food waste and food costs, and by supporting people to share their skills and to cook their own, cheaper meals.

The new film, funded by the School of Social Sciences at The University, provides a snapshot of the large numbers of people in the UK who find themselves constrained in their food choices and skipping meals, often to prioritise their families. It features interviews with food bank users, many of whom were reluctant to seek food aid.

Notes for editors

The research was led by K. Purdam, E. Garratt and A. Esmail. The food insecurity, nutritional deficiency and older people in the UK scoping study is being conducted by the Manchester Institute for Collaborative Research on Ageing (MICRA) with support from Manchester City Council, Food@Manchester and the HEIF Environmental Sustainability Knowledge Hub Project. Final research findings will be published in the summer of 2015.

For more information, see http://blog.policy.manchester.ac.uk/posts/2015/02/why-food-insecurity-and-food-banks-have-become-commonplace/

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Media enquiries to:

Deborah Linton
Media Relations Officer
Faculty of Humanities
The University of Manchester
Tel: 0161 275 8257, 07789 948 783
Email: deborah.linton@manchester.ac.uk