Almost nine million people across the UK are at risk of needing a food bank over the next year unless the Prime Minister acts, according to research from the food bank charity Trussell.
The figure is an increase of more than 500,000 people, including an additional 115,000 children, since 2024/25, according to modelling by WPI Economics on behalf of Trussell. The charity is warning Chancellor John Healey that urgent action is needed at next week's Budget to ensure people can afford at least the essentials.
One in five households ran out of food
Polling released alongside the study shows one in five (20%) people said their household had run out of food and could not afford to buy more in the previous year. Certain groups, such as disabled people and families with children, were more likely to go without.
One in nine (11%) people said they had cut back on food in the previous three months to afford other essentials like housing costs, transport to work, or heating. Of those who cut back on food, 82% had lost sleep worrying about money in the last three months, while 56% said their financial situation had negatively impacted their relationship with friends or family.
Parents and disabled people hardest hit
The research also showed parents are having to make impossible decisions, with one in eight (12%) forced to turn to loans, credit, or informal support from friends or family to meet their children's needs in the last six months. One in 12 parents (8%) have had to skip meals so their children could eat or have enough food.
Other statistics showed 32% of disabled people had run out of food and could not afford to buy more, compared to 15% of people who are not disabled. Among families with children, 34% had run out of food and could not afford to buy more, compared to 15% of people not living with children.
Housing costs a major driver of hunger
Trussell warns housing costs are a major driver of hunger and hardship. More than half (54%) of private renters in receipt of Local Housing Allowance (LHA) have run out of food in the last 12 months and have not been able to afford more. The charity is calling for LHA payments to be reconnected with the cheapest 30% of local rents and a commitment to maintaining that link.
LHA rates, which control the maximum amount of rental support people can get, have been frozen for most of the past decade. Trussell's director of policy and research, Helen Barnard, said: "People just a few streets over from you are sitting in the dark to save electricity, skipping meals so their kids can eat, feeling invisible and alone as they try to get by for weeks and weeks without any support.
"If we don't act, we risk blighting the futures of a whole generation of young people who are experiencing and witnessing hardship UK-wide as the norm. We need politicians to take the heartbreaking scale of hunger in the UK seriously. The Prime Minister must renew Labour's manifesto promise to end the need for emergency food, start strong in his first Budget, and make this a measurable goal for his government's ten-year plan to raise living standards."
A government spokesman said: "Every person deserves the security of knowing they can afford to eat, keep warm and build a decent life, which is why we're determined to turn the tide on poverty and help more people into secure jobs.
"Household incomes are up 5% in real terms, and we're continuing to ease cost-of-living pressures including raising the National Minimum Wage and suspending tariffs on everyday staples, leading to lower prices at the till. Our manifesto committed to end the need for emergency food stands, and we are investing over £4billion to end homelessness and rough sleeping for good."
