Social supermarkets have emerged in Britain in the past five years as a response to food poverty and food waste. These non-charitable initiatives sell food ?surplus? to people on low incomes at heavily discounted prices, and provide social support. Most social supermarkets can be found in the 10-20 per cent of most deprived neighbourhoods. They primarily stock food surplus, as well as some non-food goods. These are products originally intended for sale in the mainstream market which have become unsaleable. Food isn?t given away for free or handed out, as in food banks. Instead it?s offered in a retail-like environment at heavily discounted prices ? access is generally on a controlled basis to ?members?, selected by using certain socioeconomic or geographic criteria, to target those who are at risk of food poverty. https://theconversation.com/how-social-supermarkets-are-filling-a-gap-in-austerity-britain-99705