Twenty percent of Wales' population faced hunger because they did not have enough money in 2022, according to research from the Trussell Trust. Certain groups were found to be disproportionately at risk, including disabled people, carers, families with children and single parents.
Around 753,000 people faced hunger in Wales in mid-2022- more than double the population of Cardiff, according to the Hunger in Wales study. Welsh Trussell Trust food banks have also seen an 85% increase in the amount of emergency food parcels they distribute compared to five years ago.
The increase in demand forced one foodbank in Caerphilly to close its doors. "We almost had to temporarily close because we literally ran out of food," said Rhymney Valley foodbank manager Steve Jones. After social media posts encouraged local people to donate as much as they could to the food bank, Steve said his faith in humanity was restored as donations came pouring in despite many people feeling the pinch at the moment.
"People are living in abject poverty particularly if they are in receipt of Universal Credit," said Steve, who started working at the foodbank in 2020 and has already seen a huge difference in the groups of people who use it. When he first started his job, most of those using the foodbank were those receiving benefits.
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"Now we're seeing old-age pensioners which is heart-breaking and also working families," he said. "We've always supported workers on zero-hour contracts but what we're seeing now is more and more working families unable to stretch their salaries across the month," said Steve, who explained the foodbank also offer energy vouchers to help with rising costs.
Despite the pressures brought by the pandemic and cost-of-living crisis, the recent report by the Trussell Trust shows a consistent upward trajectory of demand which the charity says exposes weaknesses in the UK social security system which is driving food bank need.
The main driver in of hunger in the UK is low income, says the research, which is "overwhelmingly" caused by problems in the design and delivery of the social security system as well as too many jobs being accessible, insecure and not paying enough to cover essential costs. One in five people forced to turn to food banks in the Trussell Trust network in the UK are in a working household, according to the research.
The charity said many people would like to work but some face difficulty accessing jobs, including disabled people and carers, and parents who can’t find affordable childcare. The majority (92%) of people referred to food banks in the Trussell Trust network in Wales receive a means-tested benefit such as Universal Credit, but this did not provide enough to cover the cost of essentials.
Here are the groups of people more likely to face hunger than others:
Disabled people: Across Wales, almost 60% of disabled people have faced hunger. More than two thirds (73%) of people referred to food banks in the Trussell Trust network in Wales are disabled which is far higher than the 33& of the general population in Wales who meet the Equality Act 2010 definition of disability.
Families with children: Across Wales, 27% of all households facing hunger include children under the age of 16.
Single parents: Single adults living with children make up just 2% of the population – but 19% of people referred to food banks in the Trussell Trust network in Wales.
Carers: Over a quarter (28%) of unpaid cares face hunger compared to one in six (17%) of non-carers.
Care experience: Across Wales, a significant proportion (15%) of people referred to food banks in the Trussell Trust reported that they had spent time in care as a child. This is more than three times greater than the proportion of people who spent time in the care system across Wales (4%).
A recent adverse life experience (including domestic violence, bereavement, eviction, relationship breakdown): In mid-2022 the majority (65%) of people referred to food banks in the Trussell Trust network in Wales experienced one or more adverse life experiences in the past 12 months.
Network Lead in Wales at the Trussell Trust, Susan Lloyd-Selby, said: “Being forced to turn to a food bank to feed your family is a horrifying reality for too many people in Wales, but as Hunger in Wales shows, this is just the tip of the iceberg. Hundreds 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.”
The Trussell Trust and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation are calling on the UK government to create an ‘Essentials Guarantee’, to enshrine in law the amount Universal Credit payments should be to guarantee that our essential items, such as food and bills, are always covered
Susan added: “Nobody in Wales 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 is left unable to afford the essentials. We know that if all of us work together, we can end the need for food banks. It’s time to guarantee our essentials and create a roadmap to solve this once and for all.”
