Skip to main content

ETHNOS_APP

Home • Search • Journals • List 0

The moral maze of food bank use

Bibliographic Data

ID12937255
AuthorsDavid Beck (0000-0001-8422-7728, University of Salford, corresponding author), Hefin Gwilym (0000-0002-5537-0960, Bangor University)
Year2020
Volume28
Issue3
Pages383-399
Publication date2020-06-14
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Poverty and Social Justice (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1759-8273 • E-ISSN: 1759-8281
PublisherPolicy Press (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1332/175982720x15905998909942
OpenAlexW3034839303
LanguageEN
Citations received12
References cited7

The foodbank symbolises a changing landscape of social insecurity and welfare conditionality. Attending to decision making within the foodbank system, this article argues that foodbanks, and their referral-system creates a bureaucratic ‘moral maze’ identifying people as ‘deserving’ or ‘undeserving’ of help. Maintaining a moral distance, organised religious foodbanks are reliant upon a complex outsourcing of moral decisions and walk a fine balance between supply (donations) and demand (use). Within this article, we argue that the foodbank landscape is akin to navigating a moral maze, and that this creates, and justifies decisions of deservingness

Balance (ability · Bureaucracy · Conditionality · Environmental ethics · Outsourcing · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Welfare · Food Security and Health in Diverse Populations · Food Waste Reduction and Sustainability · Homelessness and Social Issues · Law · Psychology · Social Psychology

  • Stockpiling as resilience

    Open Access•Beth Benker•Appetite•2021

  • The effect of perceived responsibility on stigma toward people experiencing food insecurity and accessing food support

    Open Access•Natalie Taylor, N M Taylor et al.•Frontiers in Public Health•2026

  • Modern welfare in the United Kingdom is a universal (dis)credit to Beveridge. Is it time for a basic income

    Open Access•Dave Beck, Remco Peters et al.•Social Policy and Administration•2024

  • The Food Bank

    Open Access•Dave Beck, Hefin Gwilym•Social Policy and Society•2022

  • Gendering “The Hidden Injuries of Class”

    Open Access•Cat Spellman, Jo Mcbride•Gender Work and Organization•2025

  • Conceptualising food banking in the UK from drivers of use to impacts on health and wellbeing

    Open Access•Natalie Taylor, Emma Boyland et al.•Appetite•2024

  • Children’s centres, families and food insecurity in times of crisis

    Open Access•William Baker, Ioanna Bakopoulou•Journal of Poverty and Social…•2022

  • The ethical dilemmas of foodbanking

    Sadie Parr, Amy Hawkins et al.•Journal of Poverty and Social…•2021

  • Food banks in schools in England

    Open Access•Wendy Baker, William Baker et al.•British Educational Research…•2026

  • Schools and food charity in England

    Open Access•Wendy Baker, William Baker et al.•British Educational Research…•2023

  • Discipline and Feed

    Open Access•Christian Möller•Sociological Research Online•2021

  • Murky moralities

    Open Access•Thirza Andriessen, Oona Morrow et al.•Journal of Cultural Economy•2022

  • Taking stock of the ambiguous role of foodbanks in the fight against poverty

    Tuur Ghys•Journal of Poverty and Social…•2018

  • Welfare Convergence, Bureaucracy, and Moral Distancing at the Food Bank

    Open Access•Jon May, Andrew Williams et al.•Antipode•2019

  • The “dark side” of food banks? Exploring emotional responses of food bank receivers in the Netherlands

    Open Access•Hilje Van Der Horst, Stefano Pascucci et al.•British Food Journal•2014

  • Contested space

    Open Access•Andrew Williams, Paul Cloke et al.•Environment and Planning A…•2016

  • Understanding the health and wellbeing challenges of the food banking system

    Open Access•Claire Thompson, D Smith et al.•Social Science & Medicine•2018

  • Food Poverty and Insecurity

    Open Access•Graham Riches•Anthropology of food•2016

  • Every Town Should Have One

    Open Access•Hannah Lambie-Mumford•Journal of Social Policy•2013

Unique citing works12
Citations per year2,4
Citation span2021 - 2026 (6)
Citation velocitycurrent
Highly citedNo
Citation typesNeutral: 11
Ethnos_APP • Open Source Project • MIT License • Frontend v2.0.0 • Privacy and Cookies • API Documentation: api.ethnos.app/docs • API Source Code: GitHub • DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17049435 • Frontend Source Code: GitHub • DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17050053 • cruz.rio.br • Expectantes Misericordiae