Food bank demand up by half in five years as charity urges Labour to act

The number of emergency food parcels given out across the UK has risen by more than half in the past five years - (Andy Buchanan/PA Wire)

The Trussell Trust has revealed a stark increase in the number of emergency food parcels distributed across the UK, with a 51 per cent rise recorded over the past five years.

The charity delivered nearly 2.9 million emergency food parcels in the year to March 2025, a significant jump from the 1.9 million distributed in the year to March 2020. This surge has prompted urgent calls for government intervention and a reassessment of welfare reform policies.