Foodbanks as paradoxes of policy and society

Abstract

In this article we explore the informal relationship between foodbanks and the state during the period of welfare reform, using evidence from a qualitative study of foodbank users in Glasgow, UK. We examine how changes in the welfare state are reflected in what foodbanks do, how they operate, and the expectations and experiences of foodbank users. Our research framework contains three paradoxes: people are knowingly failed by recent welfare reforms and subsequently referred by state and third sector agencies to charitable foodbanks; the voluntary sector cannot adequately support vulnerable people who have needs that are more than food-related, due to state cutbacks; and community food initiatives play a role in helping people in severe financial hardship, but are fundamentally different from and not a replacement for foodbanks. We show that in the case of foodbanks, the voluntary sector–state relationship is more profound and consequential for foodbanks and citizens than any formal arrangements would suggest.