The number of UK children receiving emergency food aid has passed one million in a year

Food banks have distributed more than one million food parcels to children in Britain, a charity said, indicating an increase in the number of people turning to these institutions in the UK, which is experiencing a deep cost-of-living crisis.

The charity “Trussel Trust”, which operates a wide network of food banks in the country, said on Wednesday that around three million emergency food parcels have been distributed between April 2022 and March 2023, the highest number of parcels distributed by the association. In one year. The Trussell Trust confirmed that more than 1.1 million of these emergency kits were distributed to children, a 36 per cent increase in one year.

“These new figures are deeply worrying and reveal that an increasing number of people have no choice but to turn to charities,” Emma Revie, the organisation’s chief executive, said in a statement, stressing that this was “just not fair”.

And he considered the social assistance system designed to favor the poor to be “inappropriate”, asserting that “social assistance does not reflect the basic costs (for the family) and consequently pushes people further into misery”.

More than 760,000 people used a food bank for the first time between April 2022 and March 2023, underscoring the scale of the crisis facing British families, with inflation exceeding 10 per cent for months on end.

All regions of England were affected, with the number of parcels delivered in each region increasing by 28 per cent, with the exception of the poorer North East, which saw a 54 per cent increase.

“We’re seeing an unprecedented increase in the number of people coming to food banks, especially those in jobs who don’t have enough income to keep up with the rising cost of living,” said Brian Thomas, head of the food bank in South Tyneside. In the north-east of the country. The association called on the government to “act now to strengthen the social security system”.

In addition to regular social assistance, the British government has taken exceptional measures in the wake of the crisis, such as offering 900 pounds (around 1,000 euros) in aid to the poorest families this year or 300 pounds to pensioners. Their energy bill.