Charity food bank parcels increase by a third

A record 2.5 million food parcels were given out during the first year of the pandemic by the Trussell Trust as low-income families experienced what it called 'historic' levels of need.

While the charity says that its outlets had experienced a 33 per cent increase in the number of food parcels they distributed in 2020-21, it has stressed that this was a fraction of the total food aid handed out in the UK by thousands of other charities, schools and councils.

Despite the distribution of unprecedented volumes of charity food, Trussell has warned that food aid was not the answer to increasing numbers of people facing destitution amid the economic fallout of the pandemic.

Emma Review, chief executive of the Trussell Trust, said: “During this period, food banks across the country have seen historic levels of need, with many new food banks opening to support people through the crisis. To feel that we have solved the problem [of poverty] because we have provided food is very dangerous. The answer cannot be to distribute more food. The problem is people not having enough money.”

The charity said high demand for food aid was likely to continue, with many families’ financial resilience having been eroded further in recent months, and with furlough support and the £20 universal credit top-up due to end in October. Although it welcomed the £20 uplift, it warned that this had not tackled rising hardship, and wider social security changes were needed.

The Trussell Trust says that rising levels of destitution was the main driver of food bank use, predominantly caused by the low level of benefits, increasing numbers of families hit by the benefit cap policy, and gaps and in the social security system, including universal credit.

Despite record food parcel figures – up 128 per cent over the past five years – the trust said these understated the level of food aid demand. One in 10 of the parcels it gave out were designed to last seven days – more than twice as large as usual – meaning in terms of tonnage, the volume of food given out increased by 53 per cent year on year.

Alongside the Trussell network, about 1,000 independent food banks were operating in the UK last year, while research by Kellogg’s estimated one in five UK schools ran food banks.