UK must act to prevent food bank reliance becoming the norm

The Trussell Trust has reported a sharp rise in food bank usage across the UK, with almost 2.9 million emergency food parcels distributed in the year to March 2025. That marks a 51% increase over the past five years, prompting renewed calls for the Government to review its approach to welfare reform.

Although the total number of parcels distributed—2,885,086—is slightly lower than last year’s record 3,126,479, the long-term trend continues upward. The charity has warned that the Government’s current trajectory risks cementing food bank use as a normal part of life for many low-income families.

Families with children have been particularly affected. Since 2020, the number of emergency parcels going to households with children has risen by 46%. Among families with children under five, the increase is 32%.

The Trussell Trust has directly criticised the Government’s welfare reform proposals, calling them “harmful policy choices”. These include plans to tighten the eligibility criteria for disability benefits and cut the sickness-related element of Universal Credit. The changes are designed to reduce the number of working-age people on sickness benefits, with the Government aiming to save £5 billion a year by the end of the decade.

However, an impact assessment published alongside the proposals warned that some 250,000 people—including 50,000 children—could be pushed into relative poverty if the changes go ahead.

A drop in food parcel demand was recorded across all four UK nations. England saw 2,396,853 parcels distributed, followed by Scotland (239,503), Wales (171,673), and Northern Ireland (77,057). The only exception was London, where the total rose slightly from 454,998 parcels in 2024 to 455,571 in 2025.

Trussell Trust Chief Executive Emma Revie said the Government must prioritise tackling hunger and hardship as part of its wider plans to improve the economy. She also called for the Local Housing Allowance to be unfrozen, arguing that the freeze affects the ability of those on low incomes to cover basic living costs.

Revie warned that the UK risks leaving behind a legacy of rising food bank use and growing child poverty unless it rethinks its position. She said:
“A whole generation has now grown up in a country where sustained high levels of food bank need feel like the norm. This should be a massive wake-up call to Government.”

She also called for more ambition around child poverty strategy and the future of local crisis support.

Meanwhile, Rachel Reeves’s local Labour party branch in Leeds West and Pudsey has taken the unusual step of formally opposing her plans to cut disability benefits. A motion passed last week instructed the constituency party to write to Reeves urging her to abandon the proposals.

In response to the Trussell Trust’s report, a Government spokesperson said it remains committed to reforming the welfare system while supporting those in need. They pointed to measures including an extended Household Support Fund, the creation of 750 new breakfast clubs, and a £420 Universal Credit boost for over one million households.

To read the full article, visit The Independent