Martin Caraher is Professor of Food Policy at City, University of London, UK. He has worked for and acted as a consultant to the UK Dept of Health, the World Bank and the World Health Organisation. He currently acts as an adviser to the European Executive Agency for Health and Consumers (DG Sanco) and is a member of the International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) scientific committee.  
Sinead Furey is a lecturer in Consumer Management and Food Innovation at the University of Ulster, Northern Ireland. She previously worked in consumer, food and nutrition policy in the Consumer Council for Northern Ireland, Education and Training Inspectorate, and the Food Standards Agency in Northern Ireland. 

1. The Growing Problems of Food Poverty and Insecurity

2. Growth of Food Banks in the UK (and Europe): Leftover Food for Leftover People

3. The Cultural and economic Dimensions of Food Poverty

4. Food Banks and their Contribution/Detraction from Welfare Budgets

5. Conclusion: So What is the Future?

This short book reviews the provision of food bank and other emergency food aid provision with a specific focus on the UK, whilst drawing lessons from North America, Brazil and Europe. The authors look at the historical positioning of food aid and the growth of the food aid sector in the UK following the period of austerity 2007-2012, before addressing the causes of food insecurity and concluding that food banks are a symptom of austerity and government inaction which fail to tackle the underlying causes of food poverty. The research is timely, and considers a range of disciplines and practices. This book will appeal to researchers, policy makers and practitioners food economics, welfare economics, public policy, public health, food studies, nutrition, and the wider social sciences.