Food insecurity
No one should go hungry or have to rely on emergency food aid.
We are working to tackle food insecurity, and end the need for people to turn to food banks.
Cash-first approach
We published Cash-first: towards ending the need for food banks in Scotland, in 2023. This sets out 9 actions we will take over three years to support people who face food insecurity, recognising the need to treat people with dignity and respect.
Actions include:
- setting up a Cash First Fund for public sector bodies and community organisations, to provide cash grants to families to pay for food and other essentials
- supporting community food approaches
- making it easier to refer people to cash-first support
Infant food insecurity toolkit
We have published an infant food insecurity toolkit for people working with families with money worries, including those who are struggling to afford infant formula.
The toolkit promotes cash-first approaches to help people feed their babies, by providing cash payments or equivalents like shopping vouchers.
If you need help to access food and other essentials
If you are struggling financially you should contact your local council, a local advice service, or Social Security Scotland as well as checking our cost of living website for advice.