Food support provision through the COVID19 crisis – Voices from the third sector

Join our British Sociological Association Early Career Event on the 9 & 10 September – “Towards Greater Food? Taking Stock of Food Support in the COVID-19 crisis”

Due to COVID19 food insecurity has soared all over the UK, as many people were forced to rely on food support providers in order to not go hungry. Community and support groups, food bank networks, food pantries, food clubs and warm meal providers have all played a central role throughout the crisis by quickly adapting to the new pandemic conditions in order to respond effectively to increasing users’ demand.

On the 9 & 10 September the British Sociological Association (BSA) early career event entitled “Towards Greater Food? Taking Stock of Food Support in the COVID-19 crisis”, will discuss the many ways food providers, mutual aid groups and food support programs tackled the COVID-19 crisis by giving voice to spokespersons and directors of several third-sector organizations that have been on the frontline during the crisis. In doing so, the event aims to open up a broader discussion about the role that food support provision and community programs play in the UK welfare state and more generally in the fight towards a more sustainable, inclusive and healthy food system.

The event, organized by the University’s Sustainable Consumption Institute research fellow Filippo Oncini, is part of his Marie Curie project “Hunger Bonds: Food Banks, Families and the Feeding of Poverty”.

Filippo investigated how the food support provision sector responded to the COVID19 crisis. The research, now in its final stages, has made use of a small survey and several online interviews with food charities directors, spokespersons and stakeholders based in Greater Manchester to shed light on the ways food support organizations quickly adapted their services to the new pandemic conditions so as to continue delivering food to those in need.

The extraordinary promptness of food support sector, however, also reveals a darker side of the UK welfare system, more and more complemented by the activities of the third sector. In a sense, it is not a provocation to say that an emergency response was in a sense afoot before COVID-19, as thousands of charities were already providing food support to families all over the country. At the same time, due to physical distancing measures, the research shows that essential services such as empathic listening and financial advice were partially lost during the first months of the crisis, likely when they were needed more than ever.

The event is free for BSA members and costs £10 to non-members. There are also subsidies available for Early Career Researchers, PhD students, those on low-incomes or without institutional affiliation – Please enquire to Filippo Oncini for more information.

To find out more about the event and register please visit the BSA event page.