The St Vincent de Paul Society (SVP) has countered Edwina Currie’s criticism of food banks by arguing that they are sometimes a necessary step on the journey to longer term solutions for people suffering from poverty. The former Conservative MP from 1982-1997, who served as junior food minister for two years, (she resigned over salmonella in eggs) argued on the BBC Daily Politics programme that food banks could be considered as counterproductive in meeting the complex needs of the poor. […]