According to a joint warning issued by academics and charities, a growing reliance on food banks in the world is discouraging proper state policies to deal with poverty.
A letter to the Observer, signed by scores of organisations and academics from several countries, warns that food banks are not a permanent solution. They said that the planned expansion of food banks to new countries could exacerbate the problem.
The extraordinary efforts of food bank teams, increasingly backed by corporate involvement, should not blind us to the fact that an emergency food parcel cannot do more than temporarily alleviate hunger, according to the group, which includes the Independent Food Aid Network in the UK, the US, Canada, Austria and Germany.
All 38 member countries of the OECD Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development rely on a privatised charitable food aid model that is often dependent on volunteer labor. A warning should be given by the ubiquity of corporate food charity in high-income countries. The group says that we need real, long-term solutions based on rights and social justice. Only governments can guarantee these rights. Adopting a cash first approach to food insecurity is vital to ensure people access income before charity, but equally important is the prioritisation of systemic changes to tackle poverty and inequality. It came after the UK's leading poverty charities said that the basic benefits given to low-income households are at least 140 a month less than the real cost of food, energy and everyday basics. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation and the Trussell Trust said inadequate benefits were the main drivers of the rise in destitution. They urged the government to bring universal credit rates into line with minimum living costs.
International organisations are planning to expand the model into new countries. The letter to the Observer states that while the expansion of organised surplus food redistribution may seem like a win-win solution, this practice fails to reduce food waste levels while undermining policies designed to address food insecurity.