​Medical journal says foodbank use has risen by 163% in a year

Action must be taken to end the “national disgrace” of more and more people being forced to live in food poverty.

A report by medical journal The Lancet shows that charity-run foodbank use has increased by 163% over the past year.

Meanwhile, the number of people reporting food insecurity – worries about how they are going to feed themselves and their families – has also risen.

The Lancet report’s authors said the situation is “reminiscent of the Great Depression of the 1930s” while SNP MSP Christina McKelvie said the situation is “totally unacceptable” – and blamed Tory austerity policies.

She said: “This is a national disgrace. In 21st century Scotland, it is ridiculous that anyone should suffer from food poverty.

This is a national disgrace. In 21st century Scotland, it is ridiculous that anyone should suffer from food poverty

“The UK government’s welfare cuts have placed some of the most vulnerable people, and increasing numbers of working people and their families too, into poverty.

“David Cameron claimed to care about food poverty some years ago, but these new reports confirm that this problem is escalating on his watch – and the Scottish Parliament needs the powers it was promised to address this problem.”

Earlier this year, the Trussell Trust – which runs a country-wide network of foodbanks – said it had, for the first time, recorded one million people seeking its help in the space of a year.

The group’s Adrian Curtis said: “Hunger continues to affect significant numbers of men, women and children in the UK today.

“These latest figures highlight how vital it is that we all work to prevent and relieve hunger in the UK.

“It’s crucial that we listen to the experiences of people using foodbanks to truly understand the nature of the problems they face; what people who have gone hungry have to say holds the key to finding the solution.”