15% of households skipped meals last month because they couldn't afford to buy enough food

[cakeorwine]

‘Health emergency’: 15% of UK households went hungry last month, data shows | Food poverty | The Guardian

"Millions of people – including one in five families with children – have gone hungry or skipped meals in recent weeks because they could not regularly afford to buy groceries, according to new food insecurity data.
According to the Food Foundation tracker, 15% of UK households – equivalent to approximately 8 million adults and 3 million children – experienced food insecurity in January, as high food prices continued to hit the pockets of low-income families.

Expects warned the persistence of high levels of food insecurity among low-income families was a “health emergency” that would drive the prevalence of conditions linked to poor nutrition, such as malnutrition and rickets.
Nearly two-thirds (60%) of food-insecure households reported buying less fruit and 44% bought fewer vegetables as they struggled with the ongoing cost of living crisis. By contrast, just 11% of food-secure households bought less fruit and 6% purchased fewer vegetables"

This is awful data - and something that should be being talked about. Being in work does not protect you from this. Life is just very expensive for some people - and costs are still going up.

@CeilingGranny - that’s awful. Like someone said, maybe if you can post your vague area ie Manchester, London, Swindon then someone might know various charities in those areas they could suggest that might lend a hand.

What a disgusting comment.

All this thread has shown me is that some people have been fortunate enough not to be exposed to poverty.

A friend was made homeless through no fault of her own and ended up in emergency accommodation with 2 under three. This was a B&B room. It had a bed and a friend gave her a travel cot, shared bathroom and no kitchen facilities, Her room had a kettle but no fridge . There was one power socket in the room at floor level and the kettle could only be used on the floor as the cord wasn't long enough. To boil the kettle safely she would put both children into the travel cot but once the toddler learnt how to climb out of the travel cot this became harder.

She was not in a position to be whipping up a tasty low cost dahl (although she's a good cook so more than able). It was jam sandwiches and a banana for her and her toddler and breast milk for the baby. If she wanted something hot then it had to be a take away. So yes, given how bleak her life was she would get her DS a happy meal now and again and why shouldn't she?

In my relatively comfortable life with a hob, fridge, freezer etc I am able to make low cost nutritional meal for my family. The sad thing is the less money you have the harder it becomes.

I hope your friend is in better circumstances now @Wonderfulstuff

A few posters here have shared their own experiences of poverty, but in some cases it seems to have hardened their hearts to the difficulties of others. Which is extra sad and perplexing, really.

@Katypp

If you read my response properly instead of jumping on it with self-righteous indignation, you would see I said the chilcare bill for the imaginary ward sister unable to eat on her £38k min salary should not have to pay £1100 pm childcare.

What if she is a single parent working full time and her child is under 2?

I don't want to share any identifying information, but it's kind of people to offer to look into it for me.

But honestly, if it's not ok for people to go hungry when you can put some kind of human (albeit anonymous) face to it, it shouldn't be ok for anyone.

No it doesn’t. Inflation is year on year growth. All it means is that prices are higher than a year ago.

I thought this thread was about the allegation that 15% of people has No Money At All to buy food.

There's your hyperbole. Complete with your shouty capitalisation.

It's horrible to read things like this when so many people have more money then they know how to spend.

Sorry to press you, but I honestly don't understand the point you are making. The headline of this thread read:
15% of households skipped meals last month because they couldn't afford to buy enough food

How is it hyperbole to say I don't believe that 15% of households could not afford to buy food?

Do you nknow what hyperbole means?

The borough I lived in before moving to scouseland has means-tested free school meals and meal vouchers for during the holidays. Impoverished families dread the holidays because they've got to find lunch for the kids.

I would welcome universal free school meals.

Try looking for community foodbanks, food hubs or food kitchens in your area. One of our local churches has one, and it’s open most days, and anyone can go weekly with no referral.

I can't use food banks because I rely on deliveries.

That's how I'm familiar with the insane prices that some are charging to deliver basic food items.

Skipping at least one meal is not the same as 15% of people has NO MONEY AT ALL to buy food which is hyperbole. Your hyperbole.

You've never lived in Blanchland then.

DM me your address and I'll post you a bag of Huel. I saw your earlier post about having spaghetti hoops and a slice of cheese left and that situation is just bonkers.

We have bus routes and I live near the main one. It doesn't stop at or near Lidl. It does stop near Aldi and Asda. However, even though it stops there it is still a five-minute walk from my house so I can still only buy what I can carry from the bus stop.

I know very few people who have a bus stop close enough to their front door to be able to do a full week's shop.

How does that even work? When I shop with a car (my mum gives me a lift sometimes) it takes 2/3 trips to and from the car to unload all the bags into the house. Are people suggesting the bus waits while we get the shopping into the house?

I'm asking genuinely because I don't understand why buses are being discussed as an option. You still need to be able to carry the food off the bus and to your house.

So how do people in Blanchland buy their food then?

Must have dreamt about the forced adoption that took place 1945-76 and saw something like quarter of a million kids given up. My bad.

what you’re talking about is the polarisation caused by through internet, like we’re doing on here right now and the rapid cultural shifts and movement of people that are pitting people against each other for increasingly limited resources. It’s not because of RL social incohesion or government policy. There is no ‘power and oppression’ conspiracy forged by the likes of Boris Johnson to keep us all in our place. Just bad - extremely bad - leadership.

No that's not what I said. I said I don't believe that 15% of people have no money to buy food as per the original article.
'At all' refers to the situation in the article where 15% of people claim that they can't afford to buy food for every meal.
I have no idea where you get the idea from that I think people never have money to buy food, unless you are delibratly misunderstanding me for effect? That would clearly be ridiculous.

@Frequency growing up we used a shipping trolley (like a big bag on wheels, not a metal one from the shop!) On the bus.

Is this a real question? Look at the prices of frozen foods/pasta/ready meals vs buying fresh. People are most likely eating high calorie processed foods because they are so much cheaper. Skipping a meal doesn’t always outweigh living off junk

That's really kind of you. I wouldn't feel comfortable sharing my address, but I really appreciate your offer 🌺🌺

Is that the best you can come up with really?
Wow.