The cost of living crisis in the UK has reached a critical stage, with at least 2.1 million people, or 3% of British families, using food banks. 

This rises to nearly one in nine (11%) households receiving state-related income assistance. Northern England and Scotland have the greatest food bank utilization rates in the UK.

Initial Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) food bank usage data for April 2021 to March 2022 reveal these alarming statistics. The estimates account for a portion of the pandemic but exclude most of the energy price crisis in April 2022.

Principal determinants of food bank usage

Influence of the epidemic: Significant effects of the pandemic on employment and income have led to an increase in food bank usage. The recent increase in energy prices has further strained the finances of already-struggling families. Many argue that the current benefits system provides insufficient assistance to cover fundamental needs. The situation has become more precarious in light of the latest inflation data, which indicates that prices are rising quicker than expected. 

Government Assistance

Families receiving government assistance are especially vulnerable, with nearly 3% utilizing food banks within the past month. In the past year, 4% of households in Scotland and northern England utilized food banks, compared to 3% in Wales, the West Midlands, and the southeast. In Northern Ireland, the East of England, the East Midlands, and the southwest of England, the rate falls to 2%.

The Trussell Trust, a charity fighting food insecurity, reported that food bank utilization increased between April 2022 and September 2022, exceeding levels recorded at the outbreak’s onset. During this period, the charity’s network across the UK distributed approximately 1.3 million food parcels, a 52% increase compared to the same period from September 2019 to September 2020.

Heather Buckingham, director of policy and research at the Trussell Trust, expressed grave concern over the statistics and urged a reevaluation of the Universal Credit base rate to ensure that it adequately covers the cost of essentials. She highlighted the overrepresentation of disabled households and single-parent families among food bank recipients.

Everyone, no matter their background, is in need

Volunteers package and distribute nonperishable food and other necessities donated to food banks to those in need. Health visitors, school personnel, and social workers can identify individuals in need and provide them with vouchers redeemable for food packages from a food bank. In the year preceding March 2022, an estimated 14.4 million people in the UK will be living in low-income families. During the same period, an estimated 4.2 million children were poor.

Multiple organisations and experts have urged action to combat food insecurity and poverty in the UK. The Trussell Trust advocates for reevaluating the base rate for Universal Credit. Lynn Perry, CEO of Barnardo’s, advocates for extending free school meals to all English primary school children. Action for Children argues that the government possesses the knowledge necessary to assist but has chosen not to act.

Andrew Forsey, national director of Feeding Britain, urges the government to reduce the monthly Universal Credit debt repayment deductions.

A government spokesperson stated that the administration is committed to “eradicating poverty and supporting those in need,” noting that the number of people living in absolute poverty has decreased by approximately two million since 2009/10. The government intends to address the rising cost of living with record levels of support through cost-of-living payments to over eight million households. According to a government spokesperson, it plans to provide up to £1,350 in direct payments to the most vulnerable throughout this and the following year.

The pandemic, the cost of living crisis, and the benefits system are discussed as major contributors to food bank usage.