Fruit and vegetable farms across the UK were left short of thousands of migrant workers in 2017, leaving some produce to rot in the fields. More than 4,300 vacancies went unfilled, according to data from the National Farmers Union (NFU).
Growing numbers of people are using food banks to feed themselves and their families. But many areas where residents face a high risk of food poverty are under-serviced, The Independent reports.
Between 1 April and 30 September 2017 The Trussell Trust’s foodbank network distributed 586,907 three day emergency food supplies to people in crisis compared to 519,342 in 2016, 208,000+ went to children.
Universal credit, which is being rolled out across the UK to replace other benefits, is theoretically a useful system for people who are out of work or on low income, but there’s a lack of joined-up thinking across different sets of benefits.
Due to the unfair shame and stigma attached to receiving help, a study conducted by the University of Oxford found that four in five people who use food banks go hungry multiple times throughout the year.
The research, carried out at Oxford University, found many food bank users experiencing profound poverty and destitution, struggling to buy food and pay bills. Benefit changes are likely to drive up food bank use.
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Guardian : Communities