Over one million emergency food parcels handed out to children for first time amid soaring grocery prices
26 April 2023, 15:50 | Updated: 26 April 2023, 16:27
Over one million emergency food parcels were given to children over the past year, according to figures from the UK's largest food-bank provider.
It comes as households across the country come under extreme pressure due to soaring energy and food costs.
It's meant people have been forced to use food-banks to get food or basics for a reduced cost or for free.
Trussell Trust CEO Emma Revie said: "It's the first time that we've distributed over one million parcels for children - an awful first to have."
The charity's annual report found that there was a 37 percent increase in the number of food packages handed out to children and adults on the previous year, with one handed out every eight seconds on average in December.
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It also found that 760,000 people who were given food a parcel were using a food-bank for the first time.
2,986,203 food parcels were handed out between April 2022 and March 2023.
Of these, 1,139,553 were given to children, up from 835,879 the year before - with less than 500,000 distributed in the 2017-2018 reporting period.
The Trust, which provides emergency food and support from nearly 1,650 locations nationwide, says the need for support was greater than it was during the first year of the Covid pandemic, when many people were made redundant, or lost regular income.
Demand was particularly high in north-east of England, east England, south-west England and Wales, but was high across the country.
The organisation said demand at its food banks is “far outstripping" the donations they have been receiving, which has meant food banks have to buy more food.
It also said its centres are also having to extend their hours so employed people can access their services.
The charity is calling on the Government make a long-term commitment to ensuring that benefits payments are enough cover the essentials.
A Government spokesperson said: “We are committed to eradicating poverty and we recognise the pressures of the rising cost of living which is why we have uprated benefits by 10.1 per cent as well as making an unprecedented increase to the National Living Wage this month.
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“This is on top of changes already made to universal credit which mean claimants can keep more of their hard-earned money – a boost worth £1,000 a year on average.
“We are also providing record levels of direct financial support for the most vulnerable – £1,200 last year and a further £1,350 in 2023-24, with over eight million families starting to receive their first £301 cost of living instalment from yesterday – while the Household Support Fund is helping people with essential costs.”
