Families skip food for days

FOUR out of five foodbank users often skip meals for days at a time, a study says.

They go hungry several times a year, according to an 18-month investigation.

Half of users had no heating for at least four days, 20% had slept rough and 50% could not afford toiletries in the past year.

Author Dr Rachel Loopstra, of Oxford University, said: “The severity of food insecurity and destitution we observed among foodbank users are serious public health concerns.”