Oct 6, 2026 · 7 min · 4 segments
Essay Collection 2026 **Food is never just food.** To mark Love British Food’s 25th anniversary, Love British Food and Future Countryside have commissioned a collection of essays exploring the role…
Sabine GoodwinGuestAlexia RobinsonHost
Is food waste the real cause of food hunger? I'm Sabine Goodwin, Director of the Independent Food Aid Network.
The UK's food insecurity perma-crisis epitomises the fault lines in our food system.
In 2024, 14.1 million people, one in six households, went without or cut back on food because of lack of money.
Every year, over 6.4 million tonnes of edible food valued at £21 billion is classed as surplus.
For as long as we've heard about people needing food banks, there have been calls for redistributed food surplus to be channelled to the nation's poorest.
Redistribution charities and supermarkets have merged the objectives of reducing waste and fighting hunger for years.
King Charles has said, Food need is as real and urgent a problem as food waste, and if a way could be found to bridge the gap between them, then it would address two problems in one.
but the idea of repurposing leftover food for left behind people has clouded our thinking.
Over 15 years, food banks have distributed millions of emergency food parcels.
More recently, Food pantries, social supermarkets and affordable food clubs have joined a food aid labyrinth, yet food insecurity levels remain stubbornly high.
The causes of hunger and real solutions have been glossed over in the interest of promoting an apparent win-win solution.
Meanwhile, despite the Herculean efforts of legions of volunteers, a food aid response to poverty has proved to be a sticking-plaster option.
Emergency food parcels can only temporarily alleviate hunger, often containing food that doesn't meet households' needs.
Food aid volunteers are also frequently left to dispose of inedible supermarket food waste, adding to already overstretched workloads.
Is food waste the real cause of food hunger? I'm Sabine Goodwin, Director of the Independent Food Aid Network.
The UK's food insecurity perma-crisis epitomises the fault lines in our food system.
In 2024, 14.1 million people, one in six households, went without or cut back on food because of lack of money.
Every year, over 6.4 million tonnes of edible food valued at £21 billion is classed as surplus.
For as long as we've heard about people needing food banks, there have been calls for redistributed food surplus to be channelled to the nation's poorest.
Redistribution charities and supermarkets have merged the objectives of reducing waste and fighting hunger for years.
King Charles has said, Food need is as real and urgent a problem as food waste, and if a way could be found to bridge the gap between them, then it would address two problems in one.
but the idea of repurposing leftover food for left behind people has clouded our thinking.
Over 15 years, food banks have distributed millions of emergency food parcels.
More recently, Food pantries, social supermarkets and affordable food clubs have joined a food aid labyrinth, yet food insecurity levels remain stubbornly high.
The causes of hunger and real solutions have been glossed over in the interest of promoting an apparent win-win solution.
Meanwhile, despite the Herculean efforts of legions of volunteers, a food aid response to poverty has proved to be a sticking-plaster option.
Emergency food parcels can only temporarily alleviate hunger, often containing food that doesn't meet households' needs.
Food aid volunteers are also frequently left to dispose of inedible supermarket food waste, adding to already overstretched workloads.
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