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Cobham Area Foodbank Highlights Latest Findings from The Trussell Trust’s Annual Report
16th July 2024
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Emergency Food Parcel Distribution in the UK (1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024)
Overview:
The Trussell Trust recently released their annual statistics and advised that food banks within their network collectively distributed over 3.1 million emergency food parcels to those facing hunger and hardship in the last twelve months. Notably, more than 1.1 million of these parcels were provided to children.
While inflation has begun to decrease, the number of people lacking essential resources remains higher than ever across the UK. This year’s figures represent a 4% increase from the previous year, despite the higher inflation rates at that time.
The Trussell Trust’s report covers emergency food parcels distributed from 1,699 locations across the UK between 1 April 2023 and 31 March 2024. It is worth noting that this data reflects only a part of the overall need, as many people receive food aid from other charities, and many people facing severe food insecurity do not always use foodbanks.
10 Key Facts from the 2023/24 Statistics:
The report provides key statistics and insights on the distribution trends and the ongoing need for food support in the UK.
1. Last year Trussell Trust Distributed Record 3.12 Million Food Parcels
In the last year, the Trussell Trust distributed a record 3.12 million food parcels (a 4% increase from the previous year), including over 1.14 million for children and nearly 2 million for adults. This surge reflects rising living costs and stagnant incomes. Despite a slight inflation decrease by March 2024, severe food insecurity persists, with a February 2024 survey showing over half of Universal Credit recipients ran out of food in the past month, highlighting ongoing issues in the social security system driving increased reliance on food banks.
2. Majority of Food Bank Support Goes to Families with Children
In 2023/24, 65% of the support provided by Trussell Trust Foodbanks went to families with children. Families with three or more children received 30% of the parcels. Since 2018/19, the number of parcels for these larger families has more than doubled. Overall, food banks supported nearly half a million families, including 453,000 children and 745,000 adults.
3. Increasing Food Bank Use Among Pension Age Households
While pensioner poverty in the UK had significantly decreased over the past decades, recent trends show a reversal. In 2023/24, only 6% of food bank support went to pension age households, but this figure is rising rapidly. Since 2018/19, food bank support for these households has increased by 345%, compared to an 81% rise for non-pensioner households. This increase highlights growing severe hardship among pensioners, who are now increasingly turning to food banks for support.
4. Children relying more on Foodbanks
In 2023/24, Foodbanks provided disproportionate support to children compared to their population share. Ten percent of food parcels went to children aged 0-4, who represent only 5% of the UK population, and 16% of parcels went to children aged 5-11, who make up 8% of the population. In contrast, only 3% of food parcels were provided to those aged 65 and over, despite this group comprising 19% of the population. This trend highlights the significant need among families with children.
5. Reasons for Food Bank Support in 2023/24
In the past year, 71% of food bank users cited insufficient income as their primary reason, leading to challenges affording essentials or accruing unmanageable debt. This aligns with findings from the Trussell Trust’s Hunger in the UK research, revealing widespread destitution among recipients. Health issues (22%) and benefit problems (18%) also contributed significantly to referrals, highlighting systemic issues in the social security system. Families with children are more likely to seek aid due to income or debt issues, while pensioner households often face health-related challenges alongside financial strain.
6. Impact of Cost of Living Payments on Foodbank usage
Throughout 2023/24, UK Government Cost of Living Payments briefly reduced food bank usage, with initial drops in weekly parcel distribution swiftly countered by increased demand. Following the Autumn 2023 payment, parcels surged by 31%. Despite short-term benefits like averting arrears and borrowing, most recipients felt these payments minimally improved overall finances and essential affordability. This underscores the challenge of one-off payments in tackling persistent financial hardships for low-income households.
7. Increase in First-Time Food Bank Users
In 2023/24, over 655,000 people, represented by 291,000 families, accessed a food bank in the Trussell Trust network for the first time, marking a 34% rise compared to 2018/19 figures. While slightly down from the previous year, this trend underscores the ongoing impact of deep poverty exacerbated by the cost of living crisis. Factors driving first-time referrals include income insufficiency (16% reporting no income) and benefit issues (22% citing benefits as a reason), highlighting immediate financial shocks like insecure housing and personal crises. Comparatively, returning users are more likely to face chronic income or debt challenges (73% vs. 65%).
8. Regional Trends in Food Bank Support
8.1. England, Northern Ireland, and Wales Trends: In 2023/24, England, Northern Ireland, and Wales observed increases in emergency food parcel distribution compared to the previous year, with Northern Ireland leading with an 11% rise, followed by England (5%) and Wales (1%). Conversely, Scotland saw a slight decrease of 0.1% from the previous year. Over the past five years, Northern Ireland recorded the highest percentage increase (143%) in food parcel distribution, while Scotland reported the smallest increase (21%).
8.2. Regional Disparities in England: Over the last five years, most regions in England have more than doubled their food parcel provision. Notably, Yorkshire and the Humber and London saw the largest increases in the last year (15% and 17% respectively), followed by the East of England (8%), the South West (2%), and the North West (2%). However, the East Midlands, North East, South East, and West Midlands experienced slight decreases (-4%, -3%, -1%, and -3% respectively) in the past year, despite having doubled their food parcel distribution since 2018/19.
9. Ongoing support and challenges:
Foodbanks in the Trussell Trust network have adapted to meet increasing demand for emergency food despite stable food donations. They’re spending more on purchased food due to rising costs and insufficient donations. Beyond food, they offer debt and benefits advice to tackle underlying financial issues. However, they continue to face challenges as incomes lag behind rising living costs, leading to sustained high need in communities. Despite their efforts, concerns remain about their capacity to meet escalating demands and the long-term impact of low social security payments on community support.
10. Public Consensus in the UK: Food Banks Should Not Be Necessary
The Trussell Trust and public opinion agree that foodbanks should not be necessary in the UK. Despite their crucial role in providing essential support, food banks are seen as a temporary solution to income inadequacy. Public sentiment, reflected in YouGov polling, shows increasing concern over poverty and hunger, with 79% believing food banks shouldn’t be needed. This sentiment has grown from 74% the previous year. Most people (84%) prioritise ensuring everyone has enough income for basic needs, urging more Government action to prevent financial hardship.