Eight Million Brits Living In Households Which Struggle To Put Food On The Table
Almost five million Brits regularly go without eating for a whole day – because they can’t afford to buy food, a study has found.
And more than eight million people live in households which struggle to put food on the table.
In fact, the lowest income households in the country have an average of just £3 a day to spend on food for the family.
But, despite these alarming figures, almost a third of millennials don’t believe food poverty is an issue in the UK today.
Knorr has carried out the research to mark the launch of its Flavour For All project, to raise awareness of food poverty in the UK and give one million people easier access to nutritious and flavoursome meals by 2020.
Adrian Curtis, Foodbank Network Director for The Trussell Trust, said: “Working on the frontline across a network of 428 foodbanks means we see the psychological impact of food poverty in the UK.
“It doesn’t just lead to hunger – it can also lead to loneliness.
“That’s why community-run projects, like our “Eat Well Spend Less” courses, make such a difference, giving people an opportunity to make new friends, learn new skills, and gain confidence in cooking nutritious, tasty meals for themselves and their families.”
Knorr and food psychologist Greg Tucker have also partnered up to produce a ‘Food Not Fuel Report’ – a social experiment which shows a link between regular access to flavoursome nutritious meals and an individual’s physical and emotional wellbeing.
Participants were placed on a restrictive diet for a week to assess the extent to which lack of access to flavour can impact people physically and emotionally.
Eighty per cent of those who took part were less positive in their thoughts and attitudes and 70 per cent noted their energy levels and ability to concentrate reduced significantly.
All of the participants also felt socially isolated – all psychological impacts that those who are food insecure struggle with daily.
Greg Tucker, said: “The Food Not Fuel report demonstrates the intrinsic link between access to regular nutritious flavoursome meals and an individual’s physical and emotional wellbeing, however sadly 4.7 million people in the UK regularly go a day without eating.
“Flavour is an important signal for nutrients that our bodies need to function. Flavoursome foods such as vegetables, fruit, oily fish and wholegrains can make a huge difference to our health and wellbeing, both emotionally and physically.”
Vanni Cataldi, Knorr UK Marketing Manager, added: “As one of the world’s biggest food brands, we believe we have a responsibility to help bring positive change to people’s lives.
“A nutritious flavoursome meal, coupled with how it’s prepared and consumed, has been proven to influence your physical and emotional well-being.
“However, many of society’s most vulnerable struggle to even put food on the table.”
The stats are from ‘The Food Foundation, Too Poor to Eat – Food insecurity in the UK’ report by Anna Taylor and Rachel Loopstra, May 2016, a poll of 2,000 consumers by Mortar London in February 2017, and ‘ONS Family Spending in the UK: financial year ending March 2016’
To find out more about Knorr’s Flavour For All project, visit: Knorr : Flavour For All
