End the need for food banks for good, says Trussell Trust

The Trussell Trust is calling for government at all levels to commit to working to end the need for food banks for good as it launches study at cross-party political event.

The State of Hunger 2021 study sheds light on the groups of people across the UK disproportionately affected by hunger and the drivers behind food bank use. It shows that 62 per cent of working-age people referred to a food bank in early 2020 were disabled – that’s more than three times the rate in the UK working age population. And single parent families are more likely to be forced to a food bank, with almost one in five (18 per cent) of households referred to food banks during the pandemic being single parents – that’s more than twice the rate in the general population (eight per cent).

The charity says hunger in the UK isn’t about food, it’s about people not having enough money for the basics. Research shows extremely low income is a key factor in driving people to food banks. In early 2020, the average monthly household income after housing costs for people who needed to use a food bank was £248 on average, or £8 a day for a couple without children. This needs to cover energy and water costs, council tax, food, and other essentials and is just 13 per cent of the average national income. At the start of last year 95 per cent of people referred to food banks in the Trussell Trust network were living in ‘destitution’.

The charity says people living in destitution risk being further pulled under by difficulties such as debt and mental health issues. The research finds in mid-2020 nine in 10 households at food banks were in debt, while six in 10 had arrears on bills and owed money on loans.

Emma Revie, chief executive of the Trussell Trust, said: “How can anyone in this country stay warm and dry and buy food on just £248 a month after rent? People strugggling in extreme poverty are pushed to the doors of food banks because they do not have enough money to survive. Hunger in the UK isn’t about food – it’s about people not being able to afford the basics.

“We know we can change this. We need to change the conversation around poverty and take action together. We need government at all levels to commit to ending the need for food banks once and for all and to develop a plan to do so. It’s time for government to make this a priority – to recognise that it must be an essential part of their levelling up agenda to work towards a hunger free future where we can all afford the basics.”