World Food Day: The crisis in the UK

There has been an alarming increase in the number of people seeking our help who are hungry.

Increasing numbers of people who are contacting us can’t afford enough food to feed themselves. We now regularly refer people to where they can obtain vouchers to go to their local foodbank.

Almost 1.2 million people used a foodbank last year, two thirds of whom were aged 24-39, with an average household income of £319 a month.

While inflation, low wages, and high housing costs are major causes of the increase in food poverty, we have found that a lack of household appliances are also making it harder.

Not having a freezer, fridge, or cooker makes it more difficult for someone to feed themselves on a tight budget. It limits what food can be bought and how it can be made to last over a few days.

Simon Hopkins, chief executive of Turn2us, said: “Poverty is a complex and diverse issue but the simple and common thread is a lack of money. So, it isn’t simply a case of not having enough money to buy food for a week.

“It can often be not being able to afford to cook, refrigerate and freeze food which would enable a person to manage on a very limited budget.

“That said, complex or not, it is nothing short of a crisis that significant numbers of people in the UK are hungry because they simply cannot afford to eat.”

World Food Day was set up by the UN in 1979. This year’s theme is ‘Change the future of migration: Invest in food security and rural development’.

If you are struggling with the cost of food, you can use the Turn2us Benefits Calculator to see what benefits you are entitled to.

You can also use the Turn2us Grants Search to find a charitable fund that may be able to help.