Food banks experiencing ‘unprecedented’ demand as number of emergency parcels hit record high

Over 1.1million emergency food parcels were handed out for children - a 27 per cent rise on the year before

More than 760,000 people used a food bank in The Trussel Trust network for the first time in the past year (AFP/Getty)

Food banks are experiencing an “unprecedented rise” in demand, with almost three million food parcels provided to those in need in the past year, new data shows.

The Trussel Trust charity, which runs a nationwide network of over 1,000 food banks, has distributed more emergency food parcels at their sites than ever before, according to their annual figures released on Wednesday. There has been a 37 per cent increase in parcels handed out compared to last year and a 38 per cent increase in the number of people who are using food banks for the first time.

Charities called the explosion in need an “avoidable public health disaster” and called on the government to increase financial support for the poorest. Labour called the figures “devastating”, saying they revealed the “price families are paying for 13 years of Tory economic failure”.