The number of families having to rely on foodbanks is looking set to shoot up after inflation causing living costs to rise, according to Trussell Trust.
Recent inflation figures released show that food costs rose by 5.4 per cent in December, a number higher than expected. While prices have increased across the board, some of the biggest rises have been seen in everyday living essentials.
Sauces, meat and crisps were up 10 per cent in a year, while oils and fats rose 13.1 per cent. However, the biggest increase was with butter and margarine, which was up 27.3 per cent.
Nigel Adams, director of Hope food bank in Beeston says that “the peak of foodbank demand arrives after Christmas, in the January period. This is because people have splashed out during the Christmas period on things such as gifts, food and alcohol, leaving less money available for the next month.”
However, the most expensive aspect of winter is that people are struggling to cope with an increase in heating bills as well as the rise in living costs.
“People are having to choose between prioritizing heating bills or food during this time of year, it is very difficult to juggle between the two.”
This year, there have been almost 2.6 million people receiving ‘three days’ worth of emergency food by Trussell Trust foodbanks’, in the United Kingdom. Whereas in 2019/20 there were 1.9 million.
This is an increase of over 600,000 from the previous year, showing that more people are struggling with living costs than ever.
