Government urged to act as food poverty hits 18% of UK

Charities last night urged the Government to act over the millions of tonnes of food wasted each year as a new report claimed the credit crisis has left nearly a fifth of population battling food poverty.

Volunteers sorts through donations of food at the Hammersmith and Fulham food bank run by the Trussell Trust

An estimated 18 per cent of the country were forced to skip meals, ask friends or family for food, rely on a food bank or go without so their kids could eat in the past year.

And the report, commissioned by supermarket giant Tesco, claims the problem will only get worse as rising bills force place an unprecedented squeeze on disposable income.

The report found that 70 per cent of parents rely on school meals to help feed the kids in term time and two-thirds of these fear the summer holidays will mean their children miss out on nutritious meals.

The research comes a month after Oxfam claimed foodbanks were now a lifeline for half a million people.

Tesco will launch an nationwide "food collection" with food charities FareShare and the Trussell Trust at every one of its UK stores this week, from hypermarkets to its Tesco Express convenience stores.

Lindsay Boswell, FareShare's chief executive, told the Daily Telegraph: "If every bit of food wasted by manufacturers and the food industry was diverted to charities such as ours, we'd be able to feed everybody.
"Around three millions is wasted, just thrown away, and there needs to be a co-ordinated plan. If we work together we could make a major dent in this problem and this crisis."
He insisted it was too simplistic to say families were cutting back on food so they could continue to pay for "Sky, cigarettes and alcohol."
He added: "The growing levels of hunger at the same time we are making more food than ever before. The juxtaposition is completely unacceptable."
Tesco launched its first food collection in December, in line with the supermarket's attempts to improve its image through carrying out far more community work. Customers are presented with a shopping list of goods, such as cereal, tinned pies, tinned tomatoes and rice. Customers buying these products then donate them to charity workers at the store.
In December, Tesco collected 2.4 million meals-worth of goods. This time, Tesco will "top up" the amount with its own financial donation.
The supermarket's report found food poverty was most acute in the East Midlands and Wales, with 24 per cent of households suffering some kind of cutbacks. The south-east was least affected.
Tesco chief executive Phil Clarke declared "war" on food waste in May, saying he wanted the group to cut back even if it meant they sold less.
Chris Bush, Tesco's UK managing director, last night said: "As a food retailer we want to do all we can to help tackle food poverty and support families facing serious financial pressures.
"This week's collection is a fantastic opportunity to help people in need across the UK and I'm hoping that as many of our customers and colleagues as possible get involved."