700,000 families given food support pre-covid

Around 700,000 UK households used a foodbank in the year prior to the coronavirus outbreak, according to estimates from a study on food poverty.

This represents 2.5% of all UK households between 2019-20, the Trussell Trust said, with foodbank users at the start of last year living on just £248 a month on average after paying for their housing.

The charity said hunger in the UK is not about food but about people not having enough money for the basics, with this amount needing to cover energy and water costs, council tax, food, and other essentials.

Its State of Hunger 2021 report found that 95% of those who needed help from Trussell Trust foodbanks in early 2020 were living in destitution – unable to afford to eat and stay warm and dry.

More than six-in-10 working-age people referred to a foodbank were disabled, and single-parent families were also more likely to need help, making up almost a fifth (18%) of referrals.

At the middle of the year, nine-in-10 households at food banks were in debt, while six-in-10 had arrears on bills and owed money on loans.

Almost half (47%) of people using foodbanks were in debt to the Department for Work and Pensions.

People experiencing poor mental health referred to Trussell Trust foodbanks grew from around half (51%) in early 2020 to almost three quarters (72%) in mid-2020.

The research, commissioned by the Trussell Trust and carried out by Heriotwatt University, examined the groups disproportionately affected by hunger and the drivers behind foodbank use.