We live from day to day

Food bank use soars in pandemic with 830,000 parcels given to children - as charity demands benefits rise to meet need

- MAY BULMAN

Food bank use among families in Britain has soared above prepandemic levels over the last year, prompting urgent calls for ministers to bring welfare support in line with the rising cost of living.

Data released by the Trussell Trust, a UK-wide network of more than 1,400 food bank centres, shows that more than 2.1 million parcels were provided to people facing financial hardship across the country in the year to April 2022 - up 14 per cent on two years before.

This marks the first time food banks in the network have provided more than 2 million parcels outside of 2020-21, at the height of the pandemic.

More than 830,000 parcels were provided for children, representing a 15 per cent rise from the year to April 2020, when 720,000 were provided.

Jonathan Ashworth, the shadow work and pensions secretary, said the “explosion” in demand for food banks represented a "damning indictment" of "economic mismanagement" under the Conservatives.

Describing the “biggest drop in living standards in almost 70 years”, he said: “Food banks are a symptom of economic failure and ministers must now offer real help to working people, disabled people, families, and pensioners struggling to feed themselves." As inflation continues to increase and rising bills are putting pressure on families across the country, the Trussell Trust says it expects need for emergency food to rise further.

The data shows that the rate of increase has been rising, with the number of parcels distributed in July to September 2021 up 10 per cent on two years before, and the figure for January to February 2022 up 22 per cent on two years before.