Covid-19 and the crisis of food insecurity in the UK

Over the past decade, food insecurity has been increasing across the United Kingdom. The 2020/21 Covid-19 global pandemic has further aggravated food insecurity. This article examines how Covid-19 a ﬀ ected food insecurity through, ﬁ rst, a review of existing literature on the UK and, second, through presenting research results from Scotland with a focus on four groups considered to be speci ﬁ cally vulnerable to food insecurity – namely people with a disability, the homeless, young carers, and (destitute) asylum seekers. The article ﬁ nds that Covid-19 impacted food insecurity in three ways: (1) it led to rising need driven mainly by income reductions and income crises; (2) it created new and intensi ﬁ ed food access challenges; and (3) it had a signi ﬁ cant impact on the operation of food banks and their important ‘ wrap-around ’ services (e.g. bene ﬁ ts advice). The article concludes with a discussion of the role of the social sciences in understanding the food insecurity crisis during Covid-19. In summary, the article adds to the developing understanding of the consequences of Covid-19 on food insecurity, the e ﬀ ectiveness of policy measures and the role that social sciences can play in times of crisis.