UK food bank charity reports record take-up amid cost of living crisis

The UK’s ongoing cost of living crisis has resulted in a record number of people turning to food banks, with over 750,000 individuals seeking help from the Trussell Trust for the first time. In the year 2022-23, the charity's network distributed nearly 3 million food parcels, marking a 37% year-on-year increase and the highest total ever recorded. Among those receiving food parcels, over a million were children living in households reliant on the trust's support.
The charity also revealed that one in five food bank users were employed, underscoring the challenges faced by low-income households in affording basic essentials amid rising energy bills and food prices. Trussell's CEO, Emma Revie, pointed out that demand for food parcels last year exceeded even the initial year of the Covid pandemic.

The increasing demand has forced the charity to rethink its food distribution logistics, as food donations have not kept pace. Trussell spent £7.5 million last year—£4.5 million more than the previous year—on replenishing food bank supplies. Over the past five years, the number of food parcels distributed has grown by 120%, with increases in four of the five years leading up to the current peak.
Food bank use has surged across all UK regions, with the north-east of England seeing the largest annual increase in food parcel distribution, at 54%. No region or nation of the UK experienced less than a 28% rise in the number of food parcels distributed.
Trussell Trust CEO, Brian Thomas, stated that the charity is witnessing an unprecedented rise in food bank usage, particularly among employed individuals who can no longer cope with low incomes amid escalating living costs. Previously, food bank users were primarily those in destitution, but static wages and rising prices have changed that demographic. People working in low-paid and insecure jobs—commonly in retail, social care, hospitality, and warehousing—are increasingly relying on charity food aid.
Although Trussell's figures serve as a reliable indicator of worsening hunger and poverty trends in the UK, they represent only part of the broader picture. The trust does not operate in approximately a quarter of UK local authority areas, and thousands of other food banks and food aid organizations operate outside its network. Government data suggests that only 14% of people facing severe food insecurity visit food banks, implying that food banks do not capture the full extent of hunger.

While the government has made one-off cost-of-living payments to support low-income households, Trussell's data suggests these measures have had little long-term impact. After these payments in August and December, food bank use dropped slightly, only to rise again shortly thereafter. Sabine Goodwin, a coordinator with the Independent Food Aid Network, advocates for giving food bank users cash or food vouchers instead of food parcels, and for increasing welfare benefits to address poverty more effectively in the long term.
Earlier this year, the Trussell Trust called for legislative changes to ensure that welfare benefits reflect the true costs of food, energy, and other essential living expenses. Their research, conducted with the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, estimated that core benefit levels fall short by at least £140 per month compared to basic living costs.
In response, the government has affirmed its commitment to eradicating poverty and acknowledged the pressures of rising living costs. It has raised benefits by 10.1% and implemented an unprecedented increase in the national living wage this month, in addition to changes to universal credit that allow claimants to keep more of their income—an average annual boost of £1,000.