The shocking scale of food poverty in Britain is exposed today by new figures showing record numbers of people are reliant on handouts because of punitive benefits sanctions. More than 900,000 people were given emergency food in the past year, an increase of 163 per cent, according to figures from the Trussell Trust, the biggest food bank charity. The explosion in demand has coincided with an increase in those seeking help following a benefit sanction. Full story >>
Food poverty is defined as ‘the inability to afford or have reasonable access to food which provides a healthy diet’. Food poverty is multidimensional, referring not only to the lack of access to a nutritionally adequate diet but also to the related impacts on health, culture and social participation.