The Gordian knot of ‘affordable food’ lies at the centre of the UK food system’s challenges. On one hand, many people on low income are unable to afford a healthy diet. On the other, the pressure to keep food prices low means many workers in the food system, including growers and farmers, are among the lowest paid in the economy. One way to tackle both issues at once – giving consumers and producers financial security, and potentially disentangling the knot – would be to give every individual a guaranteed and adequate Universal Basic Income. In this Policy Insight, a team of authors from UBILab Food explain how it could work.
- The Food Research Collaboration ceased its activities on May 31, 2023, after nine years of operations. All of our publications remain accessible - you can download them from this website. However, the site and related email accounts are no longer being maintained or updated.
Could a Universal Basic Income reduce food insecurity and assist with the transition to a sustainable food system?
Could a Universal Basic Income reduce food insecurity and assist with the transition to a sustainable food system?
Could a Universal Basic Income reduce food insecurity and assist with the transition to a sustainable food system?
A Food Research Collaboration Policy Insight
By Dave Beck, Remco Peters, Francis Poitier, Ben Pearson and Gemma Bridge.
Dave Beck
Dr Dave Beck is a lecturer in Social Policy at the University of Salford with research and teaching interests in (food) poverty and social security, and is part of the coordination team of UBILab Manchester. Dave is also a co-chair of the UBILab Food, extending his interest in how a UBI ends the need for food banks. His research has contributed to policy-making in both Westminster and the Senedd. He is also a freelance consultant working across Students’ Unions and anti-food poverty organisations.
Gemma Bridge
Dr Gemma Bridge (Co-Chair UBILab Food) is a trans-disciplinary researcher with a keen interest in promoting health, wellbeing and sustainability. With a PhD in public health Policy and communication from Leeds Beckett University, her work spans public health, environmental science and communication studies. Currently, her research focuses on understanding the role of food hubs, including food banks, food pantries and community cafes, in improving access to healthy, sustainable food for vulnerable communities.
Ben Pearson
Ben Pearson (Co-Chair UBILab Food) is a working-class activist and campaigner based in Hebden Bridge, Yorkshire. He has worked nationally in the fields of advocacy, health and social care, mental health and food poverty, and was part of a team that delivered the Food Power programme, helping communities tackle the root causes of food poverty. He has worked internationally as part of the Global Alliance for Food Justice and Food Insecurity, and has a keen interest in creative methodologies, co-design, empowerment and sustainability.
Francis Poitier
Dr Francis Poitier (Co-Chair UBILab Food) is a Bahamian postdoctoral researcher and teaching fellow at the Nuffield Centre for International Health and Development at the University of Leeds. He previously conducted research to examine the complex factors that impact the island food system in The Bahamas. His current research interests include island food systems, the politics of health, and intersectionality approaches to health research.
Remco Peters
Dr Remco Peters (Co-Chair and Lead organiser UBILab Food) is a Research Associate at the University of Bristol. He did his doctoral studies in global health in the Nuffield Centre for International Health and Development at the University of Leeds. He has worked researching migration, food environments and obesity for nearly five years. His current focus is on systems thinking approaches to diets and malnutrition.