In 2024/25, approximately 2.9 million emergency food parcels were distributed from Trussell Trust food banks in the United Kingdom, compared with 3.1 million in 2023/24. There has been a steep rise in food bank usage in the UK, with a threefold increase in the number of parcels distributed in 2023/24, compared with 2014/15. As of the most recent year, there were over 1,700 Trussell Trust food bank distribution centers in the UK, compared with 1,500 in 2018/19. Cost of Living crisis continues Since late 2021, UK households have had to grapple with a steep rise in the cost of living. This crisis appeared to have peaked in 2022, when around 90 percent of households were reporting monthly increases to their living costs, and inflation reached a 40-year high of 11.1 percent in October 2022. Although inflation subsequently came down and wages began to outpace inflation from 2023 onward, prices remain far higher than before the crisis began. Furthermore, the first half of 2025 has seen an uptick in inflation, which, although expected to subside towards the end of the year, has piled further misery on struggling UK households. Growing discontent with political mainstream After one year in power, the current Labour government is almost as unpopular as the Conservative government they replaced, which suffered one of their worst results in their history at the last election. To deal with the UK's precarious public finances without significant tax rises, Labour have attempted to make reforms to welfare, such as cutting the winter fuel allowances for all but the poorest pensioners. This cut in particular was so unpopular that Labour reinstated it for most pensioners, with further attempts at welfare reform also hitting a roadblock. These events, along with a stuttering economy, have seen Labour fall significantly at the polls, especially at the expense of the right-wing Reform Party, who have generally led the polls since the start of the year.

In 2024/25 there were 1,711 food bank distribution centers run by the UK's main food bank distributor, the Trussell Trust, compared with 1,703 in the previous year. In this year, over 2.89 million parcels were distributed, compared with 3.13 million in the previous year.

In 2024/25, there were ******* food bank parcels distributed in London, the region with the highest number of food parcels distributed in that period.

Food banks – charitable projects providing free parcels of food for people in need to take away, prepare and eat - have existed in high-income countries for decades, but their spread in the UK is generally linked to the establishment and growth of The Trussell Trust’s member-based food bank network. Since 2011, The Trussell Trust has been publishing data on the volume of food bank use across their network, made available from their standardised data collection system. These data have almost exclusively been the source of information on food bank use for the UK and, in the absence of national food insecurity monitoring before 2016, have typically been used as a barometer for food insecurity. The Trussell Trust’s model for food banks is also well-established, involving establishing relationships with third-party local social and health service agencies who provide referrals; requiring that people in need of assistance have a referral for use; collecting data through the referral system; and guiding their member food banks to follow-up with referral agencies if they provide more than three referrals to a single client in a 6-month period. There is, however, increasing recognition of a much larger landscape of food parcel distribution through independent food banks not affiliated with The Trussell Trust. Research conducted by various researchers over 2014 to 2016 in England, Wales and Scotland found that in some places where no Trussell Trust food banks existed, there were well-established independent food banks operating. In other places, both Trussell Trust and independent food banks were operating. In 2017, Sabine Goodwin on behalf of the Independent Food Aid Network, identified over 500 food parcel distribution projects or food banks (for ease, referred to as food banks going forward) operating outside of The Trussell Trust’s food bank network. Although it has been evident that there are a large number of independent organisations and charities distributing food parcels, little has been known about when or why they were established, how they operate, and whom they serve. This lack of insight stands in contrast with research produced about, and from, The Trussell Trust, which includes numerous studies on the characteristics of people using their food banks and ways of operating, and qualitative studies of the user experience. To begin to fill these gaps, this survey of independent food banks was undertaken to build understanding of independent food parcel distribution projects operating outside of The Trussell Trust in England over 2018 to 2019. The aim of this research was to understand the role independent food banks have in responding to hunger and food poverty in the UK. The specific topics explored in this survey were: • Independent food banks' aims, services offered, and other activities engaged in both locally and nationally related to food poverty; • The operational characteristics of independent food banks including when they opened, how they are staffed, opening times, how data is collected, and how food parcels are made up. The potential factors that influence these, including funding, space availability, and influence of other organisations, were also explored. • Groups independent food banks serve and how people access their services; and • How independent food banks experience and respond to changes in demand, and opinions about how food bank usage could be reduced.

In 2024/25, over ******* people used a food bank in London, an when compared to the previous year. Food bank use in London has steadily climbed recently, with 108,370 users recorded in 2014/15.

In 2023/24, approximately **** percent of households in the United Kingdom that had a weekly income of less than 200 British pounds reported using a food bank in the last 12 months, compared with *** percent of households that earned more than 1,000 pounds per week.

As of 2025, there were *** food banks in Germany. This was a decrease by one compared to the previous year. The German Tafel scheme was set up in 1993. Food bank usage ‘Tafel’ in Germany is an organization that it similar to the concept of food banks in the United States. These food banks operate at a regional level and provide food that would otherwise be destroyed to those in need either for free or at a heavily discounted price. In 2022, around two million people were using food banks in Germany, this was the highest figure since 2014. This new peak was likely due to the large increase in food prices over the past two years. Both 2022 and 2023 saw a year-on-year increase of over 12 percent. It was not just Germany that was facing higher food prices. Countries across the world have been experiencing a rise in the price of groceries. Over 10 percent of people living in Spain, Great Britain, Germany, France, and Italy said that it was usually difficult for them to afford food items at the end of 2022. In France and Italy there were noticeably higher rates. Poverty When it came to the average financial wealth of adults in Europe, Switzerland, Iceland, and Denmark topped the list. Germany ranked 13th on the list, with average wealth of adults at 113,00 U.S. dollars. This average, however, does not represent the entire population, and there are people in Germany, as in every country, who struggle to finance day-to-day life. In 2024, there were around **** percent of people at risk of living in poverty. This was a slight increase compared to the previous year. In certain cities the risk of living in poverty was even higher than the national average. The city of Duisburg, which is located in western Germany, had an at risk of living in poverty rate of over ** percent. In Bremen, a city close to Hamburg, the share of those facing financial difficulties was almost ** percent.

United Kingdom UK: Prevalence of Severe Food Insecurity in the Population: % of population data was reported at 2.500 % in 2022. This records an increase from the previous number of 1.600 % for 2021. United Kingdom UK: Prevalence of Severe Food Insecurity in the Population: % of population data is updated yearly, averaging 1.650 % from Dec 2015 (Median) to 2022, with 8 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 2.500 % in 2022 and a record low of 0.700 % in 2019. United Kingdom UK: Prevalence of Severe Food Insecurity in the Population: % of population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United Kingdom – Table UK.World Bank.WDI: Social: Health Statistics. The percentage of people in the population who live in households classified as severely food insecure. A household is classified as severely food insecure when at least one adult in the household has reported to have been exposed, at times during the year, to several of the most severe experiences described in the FIES questions, such as to have been forced to reduce the quantity of the food, to have skipped meals, having gone hungry, or having to go for a whole day without eating because of a lack of money or other resources.;Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO);;

United Kingdom UK: Prevalence of Moderate or Severe Food Insecurity in the Population: % of population data was reported at 5.700 % in 2022. This records an increase from the previous number of 4.100 % for 2021. United Kingdom UK: Prevalence of Moderate or Severe Food Insecurity in the Population: % of population data is updated yearly, averaging 5.250 % from Dec 2015 (Median) to 2022, with 8 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 6.300 % in 2015 and a record low of 3.500 % in 2020. United Kingdom UK: Prevalence of Moderate or Severe Food Insecurity in the Population: % of population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United Kingdom – Table UK.World Bank.WDI: Social: Health Statistics. The percentage of people in the population who live in households classified as moderately or severely food insecure. A household is classified as moderately or severely food insecure when at least one adult in the household has reported to have been exposed, at times during the year, to low quality diets and might have been forced to also reduce the quantity of food they would normally eat because of a lack of money or other resources.;Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO);;

This statistic shows the primary reason that people turned to foodbanks for emergency assistance in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2017/18. The main reason for referral to a foodbank in this fiscal year was due to low income with 28.49 percent of users giving this reason.

Measures of monthly UK inflation data including CPIH, CPI and RPI. These tables complement the consumer price inflation time series dataset.

United Kingdom UK: Imports: % of Goods Imports: Food data was reported at 10.151 % in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 10.199 % for 2016. United Kingdom UK: Imports: % of Goods Imports: Food data is updated yearly, averaging 10.828 % from Dec 1962 (Median) to 2017, with 56 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 37.108 % in 1962 and a record low of 7.837 % in 2000. United Kingdom UK: Imports: % of Goods Imports: Food data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United Kingdom – Table UK.World Bank.WDI: Imports. Food comprises the commodities in SITC sections 0 (food and live animals), 1 (beverages and tobacco), and 4 (animal and vegetable oils and fats) and SITC division 22 (oil seeds, oil nuts, and oil kernels).; ; World Bank staff estimates through the WITS platform from the Comtrade database maintained by the United Nations Statistics Division.; Weighted average; Merchandise import shares may not sum to 100 percent because of unclassified trade.

United Kingdom UK: GDP: % of Manufacturing: Food, Beverages and Tobacco data was reported at 18.325 % in 2013. This records an increase from the previous number of 17.704 % for 2012. United Kingdom UK: GDP: % of Manufacturing: Food, Beverages and Tobacco data is updated yearly, averaging 13.848 % from Dec 1963 (Median) to 2013, with 47 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 19.737 % in 2009 and a record low of 12.015 % in 1963. United Kingdom UK: GDP: % of Manufacturing: Food, Beverages and Tobacco data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s UK – Table UK.World Bank: Gross Domestic Product: Share of GDP. Value added in manufacturing is the sum of gross output less the value of intermediate inputs used in production for industries classified in ISIC major division D. Food, beverages, and tobacco correspond to ISIC divisions 15 and 16.; ; United Nations Industrial Development Organization, International Yearbook of Industrial Statistics.; ;

United Kingdom UK: Exports: % of Goods Exports: Food data was reported at 6.868 % in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 7.103 % for 2016. United Kingdom UK: Exports: % of Goods Exports: Food data is updated yearly, averaging 6.714 % from Dec 1962 (Median) to 2017, with 56 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 8.128 % in 1992 and a record low of 4.649 % in 2006. United Kingdom UK: Exports: % of Goods Exports: Food data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United Kingdom – Table UK.World Bank.WDI: Exports. Food comprises the commodities in SITC sections 0 (food and live animals), 1 (beverages and tobacco), and 4 (animal and vegetable oils and fats) and SITC division 22 (oil seeds, oil nuts, and oil kernels).; ; World Bank staff estimates through the WITS platform from the Comtrade database maintained by the United Nations Statistics Division.; Weighted average; Merchandise export shares may not sum to 100 percent because of unclassified trade.

In March 2025, the inflation rate for food prices in the United Kingdom was measured at three percent. A period of continuous deflation between March 2015 and January 2017 preceded a return to a sustained rise in the cost of food from February 2017 onwards. While food prices were deflating between September 2020 and July 2021, they started increasing rapidly from August 2021 to March 2023. The inflation rate started to decline from April 2023. Inflation rate and consumer price indexInflation is commonly measured via the consumer price index, which illustrates changes to prices paid by consumers for a representative basket of goods and services. An annualized percentage change in the price index constitutes a measure of inflation. In order to maintain an inflation rate at a stable level, to enable the general public and businesses to plan their spending, the Government set a two percent inflation target for the Bank of England. The discounter boom The increase in food prices in the United Kingdom has shifted shopping behaviours amongst consumers. Value is now key and shoppers are changing their retailer loyalties. Aldi, the German discount supermarket retailer, overtook Morrisons as Great Britain's fourth largest supermarket in September of 2022. Aldi's market share reached double digits for the first time in April 2023. It is yet to be seen if Lidl, Aldi's discounter competitor, can also continue to rise up in the ranks and eventually take over Morrisons as the fifth leading food retailer.

In June 2025, the Consumer Price Index including owner occupiers' housing costs (CPIH) inflation rate of the United Kingdom was ****percent, up from **** percent in the previous month. The inflation rate fell noticeably after the COVID-19 pandemic but rose sharply between Spring 2021 and Autumn 2022. After peaking at *** percent in October 2022, CPIH inflation declined throughout 2023 and into 2024, falling to *** percent by September of that year, before increasing again recently. Cost of living problems persist into 2025 Although it is likely that the worst of the recent inflation surge may have passed, the issues caused by it look set to linger into 2025 and beyond. While the share of households experiencing living cost rises has fallen from ** percent in August 2022, to ** percent in July 2024, this share rose towards the end of the year, with more than half of households reporting rising costs in December. Even with lower inflation, overall consumer prices have already increased by around ** percent in the last three years, rising to almost ** percent for food prices, which lower income households typically spend more of their income on. The significant increase in people relying on food banks across the UK, is evidence of the magnitude of this problem, with approximately **** million people using food banks in 2023/24. Other measures of inflation While the CPIH inflation rate displayed here is the preferred index of the UK's Office of National Statistics, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) is often more prominently featured in the media in general. An older index, the Retail Price Index (RPI) is also still used by the government to calculate certain taxes and rail fares. Other metrics include the core inflation rate, which measures price increases without the volatility of food and energy costs, while price increases in goods and services can also be tracked separately. The inflation rate of individual sectors can also be measured, and as of December 2024, prices were rising fastest in the communications sector, at *** percent, with costs falling in the transport and furniture sectors.

人口中普遍存在严重的粮食不足：占人口百分比在12-01-2022达2.500%，相较于12-01-2021的1.600%有所增长。人口中普遍存在严重的粮食不足：占人口百分比数据按年更新，12-01-2015至12-01-2022期间平均值为1.650%，共8份观测结果。该数据的历史最高值出现于12-01-2022，达2.500%，而历史最低值则出现于12-01-2019，为0.700%。CEIC提供的人口中普遍存在严重的粮食不足：占人口百分比数据处于定期更新的状态，数据来源于World Bank，数据归类于全球数据库的英国 – Table UK.World Bank.WDI: Social: Health Statistics。