Anyone can find their food budget stretched

It’s not just about unemployment

Food insecurity affects working families, essential workers and anyone squeezed by rising costs. National research shows the share of households struggling to afford enough food:

• 1 in 4

  NHS and social care

  Nearly a quarter of households with an NHS or social care worker.

• 25.8%

  Food and supermarkets

  Households with someone working in supermarkets or the food industry.

• 21.1%

  Education

  Households with teachers and teaching assistants.

• 49%

  Universal Credit

  Nearly half of households receiving Universal Credit.

Source: The Food Foundation.

What stretches people’s budgets

• Low wages and rising costs

  Wages that don’t keep pace with bills, rent and food prices.

• Benefit delays

  Waiting for payments can leave a gap with nothing to cover the basics.

• Disability and health conditions

  Disabled people are twice as likely to face food insecurity – 28% of working-age disabled adults, compared with 10% of those without a disability.

• Pensioners without savings

  Risk falls with age, but older people with no savings are hit hard by rising living costs.

• Life’s unexpected turns

  Job loss, bereavement, illness or family breakdown can change things overnight.

• Rebuilding after addiction

  Recovery can bring money worries, housing difficulties and fewer people to lean on.

SOURCES

• The Food Foundation – essential workers and food insecurity
• Cambridge University Press – food insecurity and disability among working-age and older adults
• The Trussell Trust – Disability and Financial Hardship Evidence Review (2023)