A Taste for Change published today

How can we build a future where everyone can afford the essentials?

It’s a question that animates all our activity at Trussell as we work together with food banks in our community, and our partners beyond it, towards our vision of a UK without the need for food banks.

A Taste for Change makes clear that this isn’t a vision that can be achieved by a single organisation, or indeed a single sector. If we are to bring about a future in which everyone can afford the essentials, it requires the involvement – and concerted efforts – of governments, businesses, communities, charities and individuals alike.

The UK Government certainly has some of the most powerful levers for change within its grasp. Crucially, it can and must strengthen our social security system so that it provides much more reliable protection against people being unable to afford the essentials.

However, we know that social isolation also contributes to the need for food banks. Sometimes, this is because a lack of social interaction means that people don’t find out about the support that’s available for them until they have reached crisis point. In other cases, loneliness has harmful impacts on people’s wellbeing, exacerbating mental or physical health problems and eroding their ability to earn an income or navigate the services and support they may need. Civil society groups like churches, faith groups, and other local organisations therefore have a crucial role to play in ensuring that everyone has someone – and somewhere – they can turn to when things get tough. They can provide welcoming places where people know they will be encouraged and valued, and where they can get connected to more specialist support easily, if they need it.

Businesses also have a vital part to play. Rates of pay are important, but having insufficient hours can be just as big a problem for people on low incomes. While higher earners are often able to make the most of flexible working conditions to balance the demands of family life alongside work, lower earners are more likely to have to cut their working hours instead, often eroding incomes to levels that make it impossible to make ends meet. Employers, then, help reduce the need for food banks by offering predictable, consistent hours and flexible working arrangements, wherever possible.

A Taste for Change invites each of us to consider what part we can play in building a future where no one needs to use a food bank. It also explores why achieving that future should be a priority for us all.

How to get your copy of A Taste for Change

Order your copy online or from any major bookshop.

You can also hear more about the key ideas in A Taste for Change on the Transforming Society podcast.

Discussion guides

You can use the book to start conversations among your friends, colleagues, or a group that you're part of. Check out our discussion guide.