Bristol Poverty Institute Seedcorn Projects 2024-25
We are pleased to share below the details of the three projects that have successfully secured Seedcorn funding this academic year.
Project Title: Low wage work in the education system: food banks and food insecurity
Principle Investigator: Dr William Baker, Associate Professor in Sociology and Education, School of Education, University of Bristol
Co-Investigator: Dr Sarah McLaughlin, Lecturer, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol
Abstract: After a decade of austerity, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the recent cost-of-living crisis, schools in the UK are increasingly supplying food to families through their own food banks, pantries and food clubs (Baker 2022 and 2023; Baker 2023; Bradbury and Vince 2023, Bradbury et al. 2022). The sheer scale of the challenge facing schools and food insecure families is hard to overstate. In the UK, 36% of all children live in poverty, 2.4 million children live in food insecure households, and in-work poverty is at historically high levels (Loopstra 2024; SMC 2024; Fitzpatrick et al. 2023).
Emerging evidence also suggests that school staff on low incomes – from teaching assistants, catering workers, administrative staff, and parenting school staff – are also using school-based banks. However, there is almost no empirical research on how school staff on low wages navigate food insecurity and are turning to schools for help meeting their basics needs. This project, which is co-produced with the trade union, UNISON, aims to examine the experiences of school staff who have reported using school-based food banks.
This project will generate new evidence, through semi-structured interviews (n=20) on how crucially important but poorly paid staff in the UK’s education system are struggling to afford the food they need. The project team will shed new light on the realities of low wage work, in-work poverty, and the role of school-based charitable food aid is supporting vulnerable families and employees. In examining these issues, and informing UNISON’s on-going work around campaigning for fairer wages and better working conditions for staff in the education sector, the project speaks directly to issues of poverty and social justice.
Project Title: Poverty and financial wellbeing in the UK: an intersectional approach
Principle Investigator: Dr Marii Paskov, Senior Lecturer in Social Policy, School for Policy Studies, University of Bristol
Co-Investigator: Mrs Katie Cross, Senior Research Associate, School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol
Co-Investigator: Mr Jamie Evans, Research Fellow, School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol
Abstract: This project focuses on the relationship between poverty and financial wellbeing in the UK. While the calculation of ‘poverty’ is based primarily on a household’s income and housing costs, ‘financial wellbeing’ is a broader term which encompasses how well households are managing financially day-to-day and their longer-term financial resilience in the face of unexpected costs or loss of income.
As one might expect, previous studies have established a link between income and financial wellbeing, showing that poorer individuals tend to experience lower levels of financial wellbeing – or higher levels of ‘financial stress’. There is currently little understanding of the nuances of this relationship, however.
Through analysis of three survey datasets, this research aims to fill this gap in knowledge by answering the following questions:
- How much variation exists in financial wellbeing among the poor? In other words, are there some people in poverty who experience relatively good financial wellbeing? Or people on higher incomes who experience financial stress?
- How do other dimensions of inequality – in particular gender, age, and ethnic-racial background – intersect with poverty to shape experiences of financial wellbeing?
- What explains the varying financial wellbeing experiences among the different sub-segments of poor, including the role of financial behaviours and availability of support systems?
Ultimately, this project will improve understanding of the relationship between poverty and financial wellbeing, and how to best support different sub-segments of individuals on low incomes.
Project Title: Ultra-Processed Foods and Health Inequalities: A data-driven approach to understanding socioeconomic disparities in diet
Principle Investigator: Dr. Alisha Suhag, Senior Research Associate in Health Data Science, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol
Co-Investigator: Professor Jeff Brunstrom, Professor of Experimental Psychology, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Bristol
Co-Investigator: Dr Anya Skatova, Senior Research Fellow, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol
Abstract: Our project addresses the rising consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) in the UK, especially within lower-income populations. UPFs are industrially formulated products designed for profitability, convenience, and hyper-palatability, accounting for over 50% of energy intake in the UK. Increasing reliance on UPFs represents a significant public health issue with serious implications for social justice. UPF consumption is linked to adverse health outcomes, including increased risks of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, and a 31% higher mortality rate among the highest consumers.
Lower-income populations disproportionately depend on these cheaper, readily available options, which worsens health inequalities. This reliance perpetuates a cycle of poor diet and deteriorating health, further entrenching poverty and limiting access to healthier alternatives.
Traditional methods for tracking dietary habits, such as self-reported surveys, are prone to recall bias and inaccuracies, making them less reliable for capturing real-world dietary behaviours, particularly in vulnerable communities. This limits our understanding of how socioeconomic disparities influence food choices and health outcomes.
Our project proposes a novel solution: leveraging supermarket loyalty card data to objectively capture household food consumption patterns. Given that 85% of UK households shop at supermarkets, this data provides an objective, detailed view of food purchasing behaviour across different socioeconomic groups. By analysing this data, we will explore the relationships between UPF consumption, socioeconomic inequalities, and adverse health outcomes in the UK.
Through this scalable, data-driven approach, our project will generate insights into the socioeconomic factors driving poor dietary choices and health, directly addressing core issues of social justice and poverty.
The BPI Seedcorn fund is now closed for new applications. However, please keep an eye on our funding page as further funding may become available at a later date.