THE STRUGGLE TO PUT FOOD ON THE TABLE
A RECORD NUMBER OF FOOD PARCELS ARE BEING GIVEN OUT BY FOOD BANKS
THE NUMBER of emergency food parcels issued by food banks has soared at an alarming rate.
Food banks are used by people struggling to afford essential food items.
Figures from The Trussell Trust, the UK’s largest provider of food banks, show that in 2016/17 some 1.2m food parcels were issued.
More than a third of these were for children.
That is nearly nine times greater than the 128,697 parcels issued in 2011/12. Those who use food banks must be referred by somebody else such as a charity, GP, or social worker. They get issued with a voucher that is exchanged for a three-day emergency food parcel at a food bank. Every time an individual needs a new emergency food parcel they must be issued with another voucher.
In 2016/17, more than 40 per cent of food bank referrals were due to some form of problem with a benefit payment.
Some 26.5 per cent of referrals were because the person in need had a low income.
The Trussell Trust has maintained that the government overcomplicating welfare systems is largely responsible for the increase in food bank usage.
Garry Lemon, head of external affairs at The Trussell Trust, said: “It is simply not acceptable that thousands of people across the country have needed to turn to a foodbank for emergency food in the last year, and we’re concerned that this winter we’ve had reports from food banks of record numbers as year-round pressures like the rising cost of living combined with increased energy bills and issues with Universal Credit roll out continue.
“It doesn’t have to be this way. If we ensure the benefits system catches people before they fall into crisis and work pays enough to keep families out of poverty, we could see a future where fewer people are facing hunger because vital support is there when it’s most needed.” Fewer than one per cent of referrals were made because the person in need was unemployed. Despite this, a government spokesperson said: “The best route out of poverty is through employment, and since 2010 an extra three million more people are now in work and 600,000 fewer children are living in workless households. “But we recognise that budgets are tight, and that’s why we’re helping families keep more of what they earn.”