Food Banking and Food Insecurity in High-Income Countries

Food banks are a particular type of voluntary sector organization that bridges the government sector, private sector, and civil society. This special issue of Voluntas adds to the stream of research on the role of food banks in addressing food insecurity in high-income countries. We begin by outlining the concept of food insecurity and a number of direct responses to alleviating food insecurity at the household and individual level by governments and the voluntary sector. We then look at the potential and limitations of food banks in addressing food insecurity in high-income countries, distinguishing between anti-hunger research and research framed as addressing community food security. Based on the set of seven papers included in this special issue, we call for further research that bridges both these approaches.