Food insecurity

Food insecurity can be defined and measured in a number of different ways. The Scottish Government describes food insecurity as “a lack of access to adequate or appropriate food due to a lack of resources” and, since 2019, have measured it using questions from the Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES) which are incorporated into the Scottish Health Survey. The NHSGGC Adult Health and Wellbeing Survey and the UK family resources survey also use questions from the FIES.

Any indicators of food insecurity – changes over time (Glasgow City)

The restrictions during the Covid pandemic in 2020/2021 increased levels of food insecurity due to difficulties in accessing food, as well as being able to afford enough food. Since Covid, however, levels of food insecurity have not returned to their pre-Covid levels and are now considerably higher, particularly in areas of multiple deprivation.

Children reporting going to bed hungry (Glasgow City)
Source: Glasgow City Schools Survey, 2019/20

Data from the Glasgow City Schools survey shows that over a quarter of children and young people in S1 to S6 reported going to bed hungry, at least sometimes, in the survey that took place before the pandemic (2019/20). When further data are available, these figures will be updated. 

In 2021, the Food Foundation and Sheffield University produced estimated levels of food insecurity for cities and local authorities across the UK – more detail on the methods is available on their website.

The two variables presented here are ‘hunger’ and ‘food worry’. Hunger refers to those answering positively to the question: “Have you/anyone else in your household ever been hungry but not eaten because you couldn't afford or get access to food over the past month?”. Worry includes anyone answering very or fairly worried to the question: “How worried, if at all, are you currently about getting the food you need?”.

Food insecurity – Glasgow City Region 2021

Glasgow had the third highest estimated levels of hunger among the local authorities that make up Glasgow City Region, with 5.3% of people in the city estimated as having experienced hunger due to lack of access to food in the last month. Estimates were higher in West Dunbartonshire (9.7%) and Inverclyde (10.2%). The lowest estimates were for East Dunbartonshire (2.5%).

Levels of worry about food followed a similar pattern, with estimates in Glasgow (8.4%) being similar to those in North Lanarkshire (8.6%), East Renfrewshire (8.1%) and Renfrewshire (8%). Estimates in Inverclyde (10.5%) and West Dunbartonshire (10.7%) were higher, with estimates of food worry in Inverclyde only slightly higher than those of hunger. Estimated levels of food worry were lowest in East Dunbartonshire (6.6%).

Food insecurity – UK cities 2021

This chart shows the selected UK cities arranged from the highest to lowest estimates of hunger levels. These are highest in Bristol, where an estimated 6.5% of the population had experienced hunger due to a lack of access to food, and lowest in Cambridge (1.1%). Estimates about worry around food security ranged from 17.2% in Manchester to 6.7% in Aberdeen – and there did not seem to be a direct link between the two measures, suggesting there are different or various drivers of worry about food security and of hunger across these cities.

This page was last updated in September 2024.