Record numbers of children are expected to be fed by food banks this Christmas, the UK's largest food charity has warned.
The Trussell Trust told BBC Radio 4's You and Yours the next UK City of Culture, Coventry, is now also home to the UK's busiest food banks. It also said changes to Universal Credit "do not go far enough".
The Department for Work and Pensions said new advance payments would help the transition to Universal Credit.
An analysis by You and Yours of Trussell Trust data covering half a decade shows demand from children at Christmas has tripled and looks set to rise further. The charity has a network of more than 430 food banks, part of an estimated 2,000-plus across the UK.
Typically in December, a higher-than-average 40% of food parcels go to children as demand from single parents and families rises, and school holidays cut off access to free meals. Last December about 30,900 children were estimated to have been fed by the trust's food banks, up from approximately 9,600 in 2012.
The figures are calculated by halving the number of food parcels handed out to children, as an average child receives two parcels during a "crisis" period. A parcel is enough food for about 10 meals and can include baby products such as bubble bath and nappies.
More than 61,800 food parcels were given to children by Trussell Trust volunteers last December, up 7.5% on the same month the previous year.
