Context
Food banks are facing record levels of need for support, with the Trussell Trust distributing more than 1 million parcels to children between April 2022 and March 2023.
Question
What assessment has been made of the potential impact of food price inflation on levels of demand for emergency parcels from food banks? According to this week's inflation data, the cost of sugar and some cooking oils is up nearly 50%, but the prices that people see in the supermarkets for some products are up 100% and above. This has led to record levels of need for support at food banks.
Answer from Mark Spencer
The household support fund has been introduced with a huge £26 billion package of support for the most vulnerable households. This fund addresses pressures felt by people due to global issues such as Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine, which has caused significant inflationary pressure in food prices.
Not addressed: Specific steps or mechanisms to ensure government intervention when food banks are overwhelmed were not detailed
Was this summary accurate? Tell us
How accurate was this summary? (1 = poor, 5 = spot on)