A webinar discussion on structural inequalities, trends in the labour market, and their impact on food insecurity.
The Independent Food Aid Network (IFAN), University of York, Feeding Britain and the Living Wage Foundation host this webinar discussion on structural inequalities, trends in the labour market, and their impact on food insecurity.
Now, more than ever, it is important to consider how inequalities shape the growing need for emergency food aid in the UK. Millions of people have been vulnerable to hunger and food insecurity during the Covid-19 pandemic, in part due to the economic consequences of the pandemic. Those consequences have included job losses, lower earnings, or fewer hours for people who are struggling to make ends meet. As part of a series of webinars on existing structural inequalities and the need for emergency food aid, this webinar will consider how the labour market, employment practices, and law help to determine both the extent and experience of poverty food insecurity in the UK, as well as the labour reforms that are needed to prevent poverty and food insecurity.
The session, chaired by Chris Stephens MP and Emma Lewell-Buck MP, will consider four broad questions:
- To what extent do a) hourly wages, b) hours worked, c) employment status, and d) the insecurity of work affect the ability to afford adequate food and the need for charitable food aid?
- What proportion of people requiring help from charitable food aid are in work, or have recently lost work?
- What are employment histories, and circumstances of people in work, or recently losing work, who require help from charitable food aid?
- What key recommendations would you make, in respect of employment practices and law, to prevent the labour market creating poverty and the need for food banks?
We will discuss these questions and others alongside our panellists Jessica Goble (Living Wage Foundation), Juli Thompson (Feeding Bradford), Emma (member of Covid Realities), Caroline (member of Covid Realities), representatives of Govan Help and other panellists TBC.
If you would like to submit a question for our panel in advance please do so via this Eventbrite page. Please register to attend by 12 noon on Thursday 20th May and we will send the Zoom joining link and instructions before the event.
This webinar is the third in the Structural Inequalities Webinar Series, click here for more information on past and and upcoming events in the series.
Accessibility
There will be a BSL interpreter present at this event. Questions for the Q&A are to be submitted via chat box but should you prefer to ask a question in BSL please indicate this in the chat and this can be accommodated. Please get in touch if you have any other support needs.
Call for evidence
We are collecting evidence to inform this discussion and to help inform a report to be produced alongside the webinar. If you have experience of food insecurity and would like to share your thoughts about employment practices and food insecurity you can do so via this form. We would also very much welcome the thoughts and experience of those working in the food aid sector. It is also possible to submit evidence in other formats e.g. via email, phone or voice recording. Click here for more information and to submit evidence.
