One in four parents in low-income households are left feeling like failures – as 22% can't afford a big enough food shop to feed the whole family, research has revealed.
The continued cost-of-living crisis has resulted in a third of parents buying less food now than they were six months ago – with 61% admitting they would go hungry in order to ensure their children get fed.
Two in five (39%), of the 1,000 low-income parents polled, have given their children half of their meal, and 46% have made larger portions for their children than themselves.
And 44% have even skipped meals entirely – leaving them feeling tired (22%) and sad (32%).
The survey also found that 47% feel under more financial pressure to feed the family than they did six months ago.
And 27% say their children often complain about still being hungry after they have been fed.
The research was commissioned by Aldi, which has launched “The Adult Breakfast Club”, which aims to help ensure no-one goes without food first thing in the day – as breakfast was found to be the most common meal to miss.
Liz Fox, corporate responsibility director at Aldi UK, said: “We believe having access to healthy food should be a right, not a privilege. The thought that parents are having to skip meals to ensure their children can eat is terrible.
“Our partnership with Neighbourly to donate surplus food from our stores helps to support the communities where we operate, but we want to be able to help parents too.
“We hope the Adult Breakfast Club will help provide everyday breakfast essentials to parents who otherwise would be going without.”
The research also discovered where some of the biggest cutbacks are being made when it comes to food shopping – with key breakfast items such as butter, milk, and cereal among the most common things to be cut from grocery lists.
And 31% of parents surveyed rely on their children being provided their first meal of the day by their school, according to the stats by OnePoll.
Steve Butterworth, CEO of Neighbourly, added: “We are now seeing the real-world effects of the cost-of-living-crisis, and this is what it looks like.
“Parents sitting with empty, or half-empty, plates at mealtimes to ensure their children have enough food.
“Creating a dedicated Breakfast Club to ensure these parents are getting the nutrients they need and deserve is a brilliant initiative, and one we hope will make a tangible difference in our community.”
The Aldi Adult’s Breakfast Club runs from today, with the supermarket chain donating ten tons of cereal, and 5,000 gallons of milk and milk alternatives, to food banks across the country.
Customers can add to the existing donation by visiting here, where £5 will provide thirty breakfast meals.
