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Hannah is Co-Director of SPERI and a Lecturer in the Department of Politics and International Relations.

Her research focuses on food insecurity, emergency food systems and the role of public policy. Her work has been at the forefront of the emerging evidence base on the growth of food charity in the UK and comparative research across Europe.

Hannah’s research has been funded by the Leverhulme Trust, British Academy, Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). Hannah’s work has an applied focus and her achievements in knowledge exchange and impact have been recognised by the ESRC with a first prize award for Early Career Impact at the ESRC’s Celebrating Impact awards (2014).

Hannah sits on the Food Standards Agency’s Advisory Committee for Social Science and on Child Poverty Action Group’s (CPAG) Policy Advisory Committee.

Research Interests

Hannah’s research looks at key contemporary aspects of the political economy of hunger, with a focus on the UK and comparatively across Europe. Her work explores the nature, dynamics and effects of charitable food systems. With a focus on the relationship between these systems, experiences of hunger and public policy, Hannah’s work also explores the role of the state and her research has drawn on human rights approaches.

Hannah’s Leverhulme Research Fellowship (2020-2022) explores the relationship between food corporations and food charities. Debates around these relationships currently struggle from a lack of evidence and this research will develop new and much-needed empirical research on the nature and dynamics of these relationships as well as exploring some of the dilemmas they pose.

Hannah co-leads the Food Vulnerability During COVID-19 research project, an 18-month research project (2020-2022) funded by the ESRC through the UKRI Ideas to Address COVID-19 grant call. The project will map and monitor responses addressing concerns about insufficient food access during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Key Publications

Books

  • LAMBIE- MUMFORD, H. and Silvasti, T. (Eds) (2020) The Rise of Food Charity in Europe, Policy Press: Bristol
  • LAMBIE-MUMFORD, H. (2017) Hungry Britain: The rise of food charity, Policy Press: Bristol

Selected journal articles

  • LAMBIE-MUMFORD, H. (2019) The growth of food banks in Britain and what they mean for social policy, Critical Social Policy, 39, 1, 3-22
  • Loopstra, R., LAMBIE-MUMFORD, H., Fledderjohann, J. (2019) Food bank operational characteristics and rates of food bank use across Britain, BMC Public Health, 561, 19, 1, https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-019-6951-6
  • LAMBIE-MUMFORD, H. and Sims, L. (2018) ‘Feeding hungry children’: the growth of charitable breakfast clubs and holiday hunger projects in the UK, Children and Society, 32, 3, 244-254
  • Snell, C., LAMBIE-MUMFORD, H., Thomson, H., (2018) Is there evidence of households making a heat or eat trade off in the UK?, Journal of Poverty and Social Justice, DOI: 10.1332/175982718X15200701225205
  • LAMBIE-MUMFORD, H. and Green, M. (2016) ‘Austerity, welfare reform and the rising use of food banks by children in England and Wales’, Area, 49, 3, 273–279
  • LAMBIE-MUMFORD, H. and Dowler, E. (2015) ‘Review Article: Hunger, Food Charity and Social Policy – Challenges Faced by the Emerging Evidence Base’, Social Policy and Society, 14, 3, 497-506
  • Dowler, E. and LAMBIE-MUMFORD, H. (2015) ‘How can households eat in austerity? Challenges for social policy in the UK.’, Social Policy and Society, 14, 3, 417 -428
  • LAMBIE-MUMFORD, H. and Dowler, E. (2014) ‘Rising use of “food aid” in the United Kingdom’, British Food Journal, 116, 9, 1418-1425
  • LAMBIE-MUMFORD, H. (2013) ‘‘Every town should have one’: Emergency food banking in the UK’, Journal of Social Policy, 42, 1, 73-89. DOI:10.1017/S004727941200075X
  • LAMBIE-MUMFORD, H. (2013) ‘Food poverty and regeneration in the UK: Learning from the New Deal for Communities programme’, Community Development Journal, 48 (4): 540-554. DOI:10.1093/cdj/bss055
  • Kneafsey, M., Dowler, E., LAMBIE-MUMFORD, H., Inman, A. and Collier, R. (2013) ‘Consumers and Food Security: Uncertain or Empowered?’, Journal of Rural Studies, 29, 101–112. DOI: 10.1016/j.jrurstud.2012.05.005.
  • LAMBIE-MUMFORD, H. and Jarvis, D. (2012) ‘The Role of Faith-Based Organisations in the Big Society: Opportunities and Challenges’, Policy Studies, 33, 3, 249-262. DOI:10.1080/01442872.2012.666395.
  • Dowler, E., Kneafsey, M., LAMBIE, H., Inman, A., Collier, R. (2011) ‘Thinking about ‘food security’: engaging with UK consumers’, Critical Public Health, 21, 4, 403-416.DOI:10.1080/09581596.2011.620945.

Selected policy reports