Conceptualising food banking in the UK from drivers of use to impacts on health and wellbeing: A systematic review and directed content analysis

Abstract

Food banks have become commonplace in the UK as an emergency response to food insecurity. However, food banks are not a long-term solution to food insecurity and are often not accessed by those in need. In the context of the cost-of-living crisis, and increased food insecurity, this systematic review applied market/government failure theory, voluntary failure theory, and Radimer et al.’s (1990) domains of food insecurity to explore three important aspects relevant to the food banking experience: the drivers of food bank use; the limitations of the current food bank model; and the impacts of the food banking model for food bank clients. Empirical, peer-reviewed articles written in English with a UK food bank context and reporting relevant data to these aspects were eligible for inclusion. In total, 221 titles were identified using four databases (Web of Science, SCOPUS, PubMed, CINHAL Plus) in July 2022. The final sample of 41 articles (comprising qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods studies), were quality assessed using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. Data were extracted and analysed through directed content analysis. Market and government failures were widely reported to drive food bank use. Insufficiency, paternalism and particularism represented key limitations of the food bank model. Negative health and psychological impacts of food bank use were prominent, yet social impacts were largely positive. Consequently, new solutions are needed to promote positive health and psychological impacts for food bank clients in the UK. The application of these findings to other high-income countries experiencing food insecurity should be determined.