The partnership announced between the Trussell Trust and Deliveroo, which will enable customers to add a donation to their food orders, is the clearest indication yet of how the dominant approaches to tackling hunger are broken and ignore the relationship between low pay and food insecurity.

As a society we cannot address the issue of food insecurity and hunger without addressing the wider structural inequities that exist in our economy and society.

The gap between rich and poor is huge and getting worse – there are increasing numbers of families who cannot afford the basic necessities. This was already at crisis point prior to the pandemic but soaring inflation and low pay combined with the cruel cuts to social security is driving ever increasing levels of poverty – a situation that is so bad it must now be considered a national emergency.

We know through the people we work with at the Larder, a social enterprise that provides food to households on low incomes, and from the people we helped feed during the pandemic, that a central reason for the poverty and food insecurity people are experiencing is low pay and insecure work.

The so-called gig economy is the embodiment of exploitation – pay levels for many workers are simply not enough to live on and irregular hours and a lack of job protection leave too many on low pay and insecure.

Deliveroo is one of the worst examples. They pay people per delivery instead of an hourly rate that meets minimum wage regulations. Workers are deemed as ‘self-employed’, and receive zero sick pay or holiday pay. This hugely profitable company is hostile to trade unions, opposed to collective bargaining and took legal action against a change of employee status that would have improved the conditions of workers. They are an employer that is part of the problem – not part of the solution.

Under the deal Deliveroo will enable customers to add a round-up donation to their in-app food orders, with all proceeds going to the Trussell Trust’s food banks. It will cost them precisely nothing, it will be their customers who pay via a donation when they order a delivery.

This partnership should come as no surprise and is a logical outcome of both The Trussell Trust and Deliveroo's business models. Deliveroo is trying to create a favourable impression of itself using smooth PR to promote this initiative.

The Trussell Trust business model is actually dependent on corporations and businesses, who use this type of initiative for good PR but contribute to the very system that creates food insecurity. The link up with Deliveroo is a clear signal that the Trussell Trust model has little intention of challenging those whose actions contribute to poverty and food insecurity. Worse, this partnership legitimises and entrenches the employment practices of Deliveroo

Of course with low pay and cuts to social security benefits resulting in endemic poverty, people need to be fed and the Trussell Trust helps do this. But we need to change how we help people. When we provide food to people who cannot afford it, we should be doing so in a way that maintains dignity, ends stigma and provides good food that maintains health and well-being. The food bank model, working with the likes of Deliveroo, in our view at the Larder, does not achieve that.

The Scottish Parliament and Scottish Government are currently promoting new food legislation. The Government’s Good Food Nation Bill will do nothing to tackle food insecurity. How can Scotland be a ‘Good Food Nation’ when so many lack access to basic and good food and when this bill fails to include the Right to Food within it?

Due to the Government’s failure to include a Right to Food in the b Bill, the Parliament will also soon be asked to consider the ‘Right to Food’ Bill from Rhoda Grant MSP. This would place a right to food on a statutory footing and make the Government accountable for delivering.

Scotland needs a plan of action, with the Scottish Government taking a leading, more interventionist, role working with councils and third -sector organisations to provide good food, end stigma and enhance the dignity of people by supporting the provision of good food to those who need help.

We need coordinated action to help build a lasting solution to ending hunger. This requires the Government to support a right to food, and use every power they have at their disposal such as procurement, social security benefits and taxation to drive up incomes. They could also help resource and deliver good food across Scotland to the people who need assistance.

Until such times we will continue to help people in need and campaign to tackle the wider structural reasons for hunger and for the change needed. This will not include working with those who we see as part of the problem not the solution.

Angela Moohan is founder and CEO of social enterprise The Larder which provides food to low income families

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