Nearly 10 million adults and children are struggling to afford basic essentials such as food, according to the latest Food Insecurity Tracker.
Their findings showed that 7.2 million adults and 2.7 million children experienced food insecurity in June 2024
Households with children in the poorest fifth of the population would have to spend 70% of their disposable income on food to afford the government-recommended healthy diet
While 23% of families with three children experienced food insecurity as a result of the two-child benefit limit, rising to 26% of families with four or more children
Shona Goudie, Policy and Advocacy Manager at The Food Foundation, said: “Last week’s announcement that the Government are convening a Child Poverty Action Taskforce is a positive step; however, the immediate action that is so desperately needed to relieve the families across the UK who are going hungry was sorely lacking in the King’s Speech.
“Food insecurity has been persistently far too high over the last few years with the previous government failing to take decisive action for too long.
“We are calling on the new government to ensure that everyone can afford and access a healthy diet that will keep them healthy, and in doing so achieve their ambitions to make our children healthier, relieve pressure on the NHS and grow the economy.
“We urge the Government to set reducing children’s food insecurity as a goal for the child poverty taskforce and Children’s Wellbeing Bill, and to take critical next steps to achieve this including ensuring the national minimum/living wage and benefit levels cover the cost of basic essentials, including food; extending eligibility for nutritional safety nets including free school meals at lunchtime and Healthy Start; and abolishing the two-child benefit limit.”
