More than nine million people in the UK are experiencing “hunger and hardship”: a situation in which events such as job loss or an unexpected bill necessitate foodbank use, the Trussell Trust reports.
The charity’s interim report, The Cost of Hunger and Hardship, was published on Wednesday. It is based on analysis of government data carried out by WPI and the Centre for Social Policy Studies. A final report on the project, which seeks to explore the full scale of the need for emergency food in the UK, is due to be published in the spring of 2025.
The findings suggest that a record 9.3 million people in the UK, including three million children, are facing hunger and hardship — a measure created by the Trussell Trust, which has a network of more than 1400 foodbanks.
This figure has increased by one million since 2019, the report says. A further 425,000 people are projected to face this situation in the next three years.
BREAKING 🚨 Almost half of people claiming Universal Credit ran out of food in the last month and did not have enough money to buy more.
— Trussell (@TrussellUK) September 3, 2024
Universal Credit is falling short and pushing people to food banks. People cannot wait for an economic turnaround to improve their current… pic.twitter.com/m4fKXeGzCI