Millions of British citizens were forced to skip meals or go entire days without eating anything because of the economic crisis. This is what emerged from a study carried out by the charity Food Foundation, according to which almost one in five low-income families in September experienced food insecurity, an even higher number than in the chaotic weeks of the first Covid lockdown.
According to the foundation, hunger levels in the UK more than doubled from January to September: nearly 10 million adults and 4 million children they had access to regular meals for the past month and were forced to ask for help. Parents of 800,000 minors have requested that their children have access to the free school cafeteria service and there have been numerous thefts of food from classmates. Increasingly, the lunch prepared by the mother or father consisted of a single slice of bread.
Michael Marmot – a leading British public health expert – called the increase in hunger “alarming”and told the Guardian that the health consequences will be severe, including – in addition to malnutrition – an increase in stress, mental illness, obesity, diabetes and heart disease.
The Food Foundation began monitoring food insecurity shortly before the pandemic, conducting surveys of 4,200 adults. During the first two weeks of the lockdown in March and April 2020, 14% of households skipped meals due to the emptying of supermarket shelves and massive disruption of food supplies.
Subsequent research showed a decline in food insecurity rates, which stabilized between 7 and 8%. Since January 2022, however, rising energy bills and food prices, along with the withdrawal of Covid economic aid, have caused a sharp increase in hunger. More than two-thirds of families with food problems said they are cooking less and less or turning off their refrigerators to reduce energy costs.
Last month, more than 18% of UK households said they cut out or skipped meals, 11% reported not eating despite being hungry and 6% said they hadn’t eaten for an entire day.
Source: Fan Page IT
Ashley Root is an experienced business journalist and author at The Nation View. With a background in economics and finance, she has a deep understanding of the inner workings of the business world and is able to provide insightful and informative analysis on a wide range of topics.
