Food poverty among families and young people

Rising living costs and changes to the benefits system are driving increasing numbers of vulnerable families to use emergency food services, according to a report from the Barnardo's charity.

The report examines the extent and nature of food poverty among families and young people, based on a survey of Barnardo's services.

Key findings

  • 94 per cent of services say that use of emergency food services is rising or high.
  • 90 per cent of services say they have referred people to food banks in the past 12 months.
  • 92 per cent of applicable services say demand for Christmas food parcels is increasing.

Barnardo’s Assistant Director of Policy and Research Neera Sharma said: 'It's a tragedy that in one of the world's richest countries, the most vulnerable families can't afford to buy Christmas dinner for their children'.

Source: Jenny Peachey, Nicola Smith and Neera Sharma, Families in Need of Food Parcels: The Food Poverty Crisis Unwrapped, Barnardo's
LinksReport | Barnardos press release | Guardian report | Hansard

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