Lambie-Mumford, H., Crossley, D., Jensen, E. A. & Dowler, E. (2014). Household Food Security in the UK: A Review of Food Aid Final Report. UK Government Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)
This report presents findings from a Rapid Evidence Assessment undertaken from February and March 2013. The aim of the research was to arrive at a better understanding of the ‘food aid’ landscape in the UK and the ‘at risk’ individuals who access such provision, as well as the means and drivers for seeking access. The research used a standardized methodology for a Rapid Evidence Assessment (REA) of existing published empirical literature. To supplement the REA, other evidence was obtained through a ‘call for evidence’, non-governmental sources and a small amount of rapid primary research. This non-REA evidence was used where it constituted the best available evidence, with its limitations explicitly acknowledged in the report. In the short timescale available, it was not feasible to subject all non-REA evidence to detailed examination of its methodological rigour and quality (such as that used by NICE in developing public health guidance). However, this evidence offers an important starting point for future research, given the limited nature of existing published empirical research on this topic in the UK and the short timescale for the research underpinning this report.
