Food banks risk becoming ‘permanent’ fixture in poorest Scots communities unless alternatives given backing

Good Food Scotland works with housing associations and local charities to open stores in neighbourhoods which often lack regular retail outlets.

Food banks risk becoming “permanent” fixtures in the poorest Scots communities unless investment is made in alternatives like community-run shops, a charity has warned.

Good Food Scotland works with housing associations and local charities to open stores in neighbourhoods which often lack regular retail outlets.

Former Glasgow South West MP Chris Stephens said greater investment was now required in affordable community food models to help prevent families from reaching a “crisis point” in the first place.

The charity already runs nine affordable food spaces in Glasgow and is planning more. A new survey of its 3,000 members found access to affordable food helped them people feel less anxious about food and skip meals less often.

Almost a third of respondents said their use of food banks had reduced or stopped altogether since accessing Good Food Scotland’s affordable food clubs.

Customers typically pay a small monthly fee to sign-up for access to community shops, which offer a range of discounted provisions and household items.

Stephens, chair of Good Food Scotland, said: “Food banks were never meant to become a permanent part of life in communities across Scotland, yet for many families emergency food aid has become normalised.

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“What this survey shows is that there is another way. Investing in affordable community food models can help prevent people reaching crisis point in the first place.

“When nearly a third of members say they have reduced or stopped using food banks, policymakers should pay attention to that. This is about dignity, prevention and long-term community resilience.

“We need to move beyond emergency responses and invest in approaches that give people consistent access to affordable food while connecting them to wider support in their communities.”

Scott McFarlane, director of Good Food Scotland, said: “These findings reflect what staff and volunteers are seeing every day across our affordable food spaces.

“People are coming to us feeling under huge pressure from the cost of living, but what they find is more than affordable food. They find somewhere welcoming, somewhere local and somewhere they can access support without stigma.

“We are seeing people eat more regularly, feel less anxious about food and become more connected to their communities. The fact that so many members are also accessing wider support services shows these spaces are becoming trusted community hubs.

“For many families, having reliable access to affordable food is helping prevent problems from escalating into full crisis.”

Almost 220,000 emergency food parcels were provided to people facing hardship across Scotland last year, according to figures from the Trussell Trust.

The charity’s community of foodbanks in Scotland are providing the equivalent of 600 food parcels a day – or one parcel every two and a half minutes.

But Trussell eported a 13 per cent drop in the total parcel numbers provided in Scotland compared to the previous year of 2024, largely due to easing inflation – reflecting a slowdown in the rising cost of essentials – alongside fewer people losing their jobs.