Could a Universal Basic Income reduce food insecurity and assist with the transition to a sustainable food system? A Food Research Collaboration Policy Insight

The Gordian knot of ‘affordable food’ lies at the centre of the UK food system’s challenges. On one hand, many people on low income are unable to afford a healthy diet. On the other, the pressure to keep food prices low means many workers in the food system, including growers and farmers, are among the lowest paid in the economy. One way to tackle both issues at once – giving consumers and producers financial security, and potentially disentangling the knot – would be to give every individual a guaranteed and adequate Universal Basic Income. In this Policy Insight, a team of authors from UBILab Food explain how it could work.