Food security, nutrition and health of food bank attendees in an English city: a cross-sectional study

Food banks in contemporary Britain are feeding record numbers of people. Little is known about attendees’ level of food insecurity, background diet quality or health. We surveyed 112 food bank attendees. Over 50% had experienced food shortage with hunger on a weekly basis of more often. Obesity and mental health problems were prevalent in women. Diet quality was poor with energy, protein, fibre, iron and calcium intakes inadequate, while saturated fat and sugars intakes were disproportionate. Women had poorer diet quality than men. Such patterns may lead to ill health.