The distribution and functions of food support organisations in Scotland and their implications for policy

The Scottish Government’s Cash-First policy aims to make food banks the “last port of call” for people in need, partly through the distribution of financial assistance, money advice and wider support via citizens advice bureaux and community and third sector organisations. This is likely to prove challenging, not least because recent statistics from the UK’s Family Resources Survey show that household food insecurity has increased considerably in Scotland since 2019.

This paper presents and discusses data gathered by the authors on the distribution and functions of food support organisations in Scotland. It finds that food support outlets are distributed widely, though unevenly, and that a sizable proportion of them provide a range of services that renders the distinction between community organisations and food banks increasingly redundant. The wide distribution and multifunctionality of many food support outlets suggests that they may be well located to deliver aspects of the Scottish Government’s food insecurity policy. However, this raises questions about what success for Cash-First might look like.