MORE community food pantries will be set up across Glasgow to help people access affordable fresh food.

Glasgow City Council is looking to set up community shops and food hubs across the city to help tackle food poverty and inequality.

If a pilot scheme is approved, low income families will be able to access fresh food and vegetables through a voucher scheme.

In August 2018 the local authority agreed to conduct an inquiry into food inequality in Glasgow and look at steps the city can take to prevent this while finding a long-term solution.

In January this year the council were presented a report that demonstrated a food strategy is essential for Glasgow to help tackle food poverty.

A community food pantry is already being planned for Ruchazie in the East End. It will offer access to fresh products for a weekly membership fee.

The pantry will be set up within two shop units which have lain empty for years where food is provided from Fareshare.

No-one will be referred but the community will co-own the food store, staff it and control how it is run.

The local authority say that food inequality and poverty in Glasgow is one of the biggest public health challenges they face.

They claim that universal credit has made the problem worse and effective action needs to be taken.

Data on the scale of food inequality across the city is likely to be an underestimate due to people feeling ashamed or embarrassed about having to access emergency support for hunger.

There are already a diverse network of community food organisations across the city which help tackle social isolation and improve mental and physical health.

Foodbanks act as an essential source of emergency support for hunger. Volunteers provide advice, support and signposting to other services.

The Glasgow children’s holiday food programme was set up in 2018 and reached more than 14,500 children last summer.

The local authority will look at maximising the use of empty buildings within the community as a place to bring people together, cook food and share meals.

Over the next three years the council will continue to help individuals access healthy nutritious food and develop a strategy which will help combat food inequality.

The problems are expected to be discussed on Tuesday.