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Introduction
Food banks are a relatively new phenomenon in the UK and Europe, although they have long been a feature of the North American welfare landscape (Poppendieck, 1997, 1998; Riches, 1986, 1997a, b, 2002, 2011). In 2000, there was only one reported food bank in the UK (Hawkes and Webster, 2000). In the face of global economic austerity the numbers using food banks are spiraling (Lambie, 2011; DeSchutter, 2013).
There are two main providers of food banks currently in operation in the UK. The Trussell Trust, a Christian charity, is the largest single provider of food banks because of its franchise system of operation. It franchises its models to local groups allowing them access to food supply sources and the use of publicity materials, a corporate logo and training to set up a food bank. Its franchised network is expanding by three food banks per week with the forecast that 1,000 food banks are required to satisfy potential demand (The Trussell Trust, 2014). In the 2008-2009 financial year The Trussell Trust served 26,000 people through its network. By the three months to the end of September 2013, almost 356,000 people received three days of free food from one of the 400 plus food banks in The Trussell Trust network (Lambie-Mumford, 2013; The Trussell Trust, 2014). Over 90 per cent of the food given out by The Trussell Trust is donated by the public and every food bank recipient is referred by a professional such as a doctor, social worker or school liaison officer (The Trussell Trust, 2013). The second major provider is FareShare, which collects surplus food from supermarkets and shops and distributes it through 720 charities and organizations to families and individuals in need (FareShare, 2014). Its aims are to tackle the twin issues of food poverty and reducing food waste. FareShare was established in 1994 by the homeless charity Crisis under the name Crisis FareShare and the first depot opened in London. Over the next decade depots were opened across the UK, including Brighton and Edinburgh, using a social franchise model. In 2004, FareShare became an independent charity in order to support its growth and broaden its remit. In 2013, it provided food to over 1,000 charities serving 51,000 meals a day. FareShare feeds...