Food banks Scotland: Report shows one in six Scots faced hunger in last year

A new report shows one in six Scots have faced hunger in the past year, as the number of people using foodbanks more than doubles

One in six Scots faced hunger in the past year due to money issues – equivalent to the populations of both Edinburgh and Glasgow combined – new research has revealed.

A report published by the Trussell Trust, called ‘Hunger in Scotland’, brings together several Scotland and UK-wide surveys, as well as qualitative research, to provide a snapshot of poverty and hunger.

Researchers found 17 per cent of Scottish people were experiencing hunger in mid-2022, but the majority of these people (77 per cent) were not accessing charitable support from food banks.

Many families living in food poverty need to use food banks. Picture: Getty Images.

“The impact of having a lack of money leads to worrying social isolation and loneliness, spiralling debt, and a decline in physical and mental health,” the report reads.

Interviews by researchers found a lack of income leads to social isolation due to the cost of meeting up with friends and family. At least one in four (29 per cent) people referred to food banks in the Trussell Trust network experienced severe social isolation, seeing relatives, friends or neighbours less than once a month or never.

Food banks in the Trussell Trust network provided almost 260,000 food parcels in the past year – a record number – and more than double the amount provided five years ago.

The report’s authors claim “weaknesses in the social security system” are driving the need for food banks, rather than just the pandemic or cost-of-living crisis.

Polly Jones, head of Scotland at the Trussell Trust, said: “It is truly shocking that being forced to turn to a food bank to feed your family is a horrifying reality for so many people in Scotland, and as Hunger in Scotland shows, this is just the tip of the iceberg.

“Many more people are struggling with hunger. This is not right. Food banks are not the answer when people are going without the essentials in one of the richest economies in the world. We need a social security system which provides protection and the dignity for people to cover their own essentials, such as food and bills.”

Researchers found paid work “does not always protect people from having to use food banks”.

One in five people across Scotland forced to turn to food banks in the Trussell Trust network are in a working household, the report shows. Just under a third (30 per cent) of people in work who have had to use a food bank are in insecure work such as zero hours contracts or agency work.

Ms Jones said: “Nobody in Scotland should face hunger. That is why research like this is so vital. It provides the evidence we need to be able to change systems, policies and practices, so that no one in Scotland has to face hunger.

“Positive action has already been taken by the Scottish Government, with the publication of the plan to end the need for food banks, and this now needs implementing as well as being supported with a longer term vision and much bolder action.

“Change needs to come from both Holyrood and Westminster if we are to create a Scotland where people aren’t faced with hunger.”