Welcome to LSEIQ.
This month we're re-running an episode from 2019 exploring why we need food banks,
an issue that has come back into focus with the cost of living crisis.
As food and energy prices soar, it's predicted that the demand for food banks will reach record highs,
as those on low incomes and benefits face an uphill battle to make ends meet.
Lots of people ask me what sort of people come to food banks, and I say that people like you and me,
because you know, these are people in crisis, they don't want to be here.
This idea that they're people who don't need to come.
The people who come here are in despair a lot of the time, and they don't want to be here.
Welcome to LSEIQ.
I'm Joanna Bale,
and this is the podcast where we ask leading social scientists and other experts to answer an intelligent question.
In this episode, I explore the question, why do we need food banks?
The UK is the world's fifth-largest economy with low levels of unemployment,
yet the use of food banks has reached a record high.
1.6 million emergency parcels were given out in 2018 by Britain's largest food bank network, the Trussell Trust.
This made it the busiest year in the charity's history.
Many believe the growth in demand for food banks is a reflection of an increase in poverty.
Others suggest that maybe supply is fueling demand.
How long have you been coming to the food bank?