FOOD BANK USE HITS RECORD HIGH
Arecord number of food parcels are being handed out for people who can’t afford to eat. Those are the latest findings from The Trussell Trust, an anti-poverty charity which runs around 1,200 food banks across the UK. The figures reveal a whopping 1.6 million three-day emergency food supplies were given to people in crisis in 2018/19. That was up from 1.3 million the year before and is the highest number since records began in 2013/14. That year, 913,138 parcels were issued. More than a third of the emergency food supplies - which usually contain tinned and dried foods - handed out last year were for children (577,618). Those who use food banks must be issued a voucher by somebody else such as a GP, a social worker or charity. The voucher can then be 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. The Trussell Trust said that on average, people needed around two food bank referrals in 2018/19. The data also revealed the three most common reasons people were referred to food banks in 2018/19. In nearly a third of instances (33.1%), people were referred because their income did not cover essential costs. In 20.3% of cases a person was referred because of benefit delays and in 17.4% of occasions a referral was made because of benefit changes. Earlier this year, the then DWP secretary Amber Rudd admitted that the roll out of Universal Credit rollout had been linked to rising food bank usage. Answering a ministerial question in the House of Commons, Rudd said: “It is absolutely clear that there were challenges with the initial rollout of Universal Credit, and the main issue that led to an increase in food bank use could have been the fact that people had difficulty accessing their money early enough.” It is important to note that the total number of emergency food parcels issued in 2018/19 is likely higher than the data shows. This is because there are around 800 independent food banks operating separately from The Trussell Trust across the UK. Emma Revie, chief executive of The Trussell Trust, said: “Ultimately, it’s unacceptable that anyone should have to use a food bank in the first place. “No charity can replace the dignity of having financial security. “That’s why in the long-term, we’re urging the government to ensure benefit payments reflect the true cost of living and work is secure, paying the real living wage, to help ensure we are all anchored from poverty.”