The number of people experiencing food insecurity was one-fifth higher in January than six months previously, according to a survey that showed families in the UK were struggling to feed themselves even before the imminent squeeze on living standards.
Data released by the Food Foundation, a charity, showed in January 4.7 mn adults had experienced food insecurity, equivalent to 8.8 per cent of the population. This is 20.5 per cent higher than in July last year, when the survey reported 3.9 mn adults had experienced food insecurity.
Statistics reveal that rising cost of living leaves 4.7mn Britons struggling to feed themselves leading to sharp increase in food insecurity amid warnings of worse still to come. The stark indicators of hunger come before a once-in-a-generation hit to living standards, as people in the UK brace for a triple whammy of tax rises, increasing energy costs and consumer price inflation.
The decline in living standards for much of the UK population prompted chancellor Rishi Sunak last week to announce a £9 bn package to help struggling households. On the same day energy regulator Ofgem announced a 54 per cent rise in energy bills and the Bank of England increased interest rates from 0.25 per cent to 0.5 per cent. It warned inflation could hit 7.25 per cent by April, threatening to limit people’s spending power as a planned increase in National Insurance contributions reduces their take-home pay.
Alarmingly, a Food Foundation survey, based on the responses of more than 4,000 people, found 62 per cent of households experienced higher energy bills and food shop costs, and 16 per cent cut back on food to afford other essentials. One million adults - equivalent to 3.6 per cent of the population - reported they had to go at least one day without eating in the previous month because they couldn’t afford or access food. In July, the figure was 2.6 per cent. Households with children were also more likely to struggle to feed themselves, with 12.1 per cent of households experiencing food insecurity, and 1mn adults reporting they had to go a whole day without eating because they couldn’t afford food.
