Three-quarters (76%) of citizens in the U.K. are concerned about the cost of food, according to research published by the Food Standards Agency, suggesting that the cost of food is set to be a major worry in the future. Further, additional FSA research shows a sharp rise in the number of people relying on food banks and charities, and food banks would like more advice on handling food safely.
 
9% of U.K. citizens were using a food bank or food charity in March 2021, which rose to 15% in March 2022. Over one in five (22%) said that they skipped a meal or cut down on the size of meals because they did not have enough money to buy food.
 
Along with publishing this data, FSA said that it is working with businesses to ensure that donating food is more straightforward, in order to support those who work in food banks, and those who use them, for best practices on storing, preparing, distributing, and cooking food.
 
“In the face of immediate pressures on people struggling to buy food, food banks are playing a vital role in our communities. We are urgently working with industry and other major donors, and food bank charities, to look at what more we can do together to ensure that food which is safe to eat can be redistributed to people who can benefit from this support,” said Professor Susan Jebb, FSA Chair. “Food banks can be a trusted lifeline in the short term, but governments and regulators must also look more widely at other ways to enable people to reliably access safe and healthy food in the long term.”
 
Steps the FSA reports it will take include:
 

• Working with food aid charities including the Independent Food Aid Network and Fareshare to draw together and tailor resources for community food providers, to make them as easy to use as possible. 
• We want to build on the strong work already done in partnership with WRAP to ensure that as much surplus food as possible is redistributed to people, rather than going to waste.
• Working with industry, government and charitable organizations to examine and improve the regulatory landscape for food banks and donors, making sure that rules and guidance are as proportionate and effective as possible, and helping to share best practice. 

 
The three research projects, and the work FSA is doing to address household food insecurity were discussed at its June 15 board meeting, and FSA published a best practice guidance for surplus food redistribution in collaboration with the Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and the non-governmental organization WRAP.
 
“WRAP is proud of its longstanding relationship with the FSA and our collaborative work in the Courtauld Commitment redistribution working group,’ said Marcus Gover, CEO of WRAP. “We support the FSA’s efforts to address the concerns many of us have around the cost of food. WE estimate that more than 200,000 tons of surplus food could still be redistributed each year. So by working together we can increase the redistribution of this food, which will also reduce the environmental impact of our food and help achieve a thriving U.K. food system for all.”