23/05/22
2 min read
The Food Foundation is launching an online portal to share the experiences of people struggling to survive Britain’s cost of living crisis.
Breadline Voices, a new series from The Food Foundation, features powerful case studies highlighting the grim reality facing millions of families plunged into food and fuel poverty as food prices reach a 40-year high.
We aim to give politicians, policymakers, businesses and the media access to spokespeople from a group whose voices are rarely heard.
The series will be spearheaded by a single mum from Portsmouth, a single dad from Canterbury and a disability rights campaigner from the Hampshire town of Fareham.
The Food Foundation will also be inviting members of the public to write in to share their experiences of food insecurity over the coming months as millions are facing soaring costs of food and fuel bills. The series will help create a real life picture of what is happening across the UK and provide vital insight into how families are coping.
There is only one shop on the estate, and it only stocks the lowest quality food and nothing fresh. The closest supermarket is two miles away, and many of my neighbours aren’t as mobile as I am. Our access to only poor-quality food, on many levels, epitomises the deprivation of where we live.Dominic Watters, Kent
Listen to an audio excerpt from Dominic Watters’ Breadline Voices entry.
Food poverty affects more than most people consider. When I was going through the worst of it, my focus was entirely on survival. It was like fighting a personal war. The world becomes very small – is there a roof over your head, will you be able to eat today, is there money on the electric key?Kathleen Kerridge, Portsmouth
Listen to an audio excerpt from Kathleen Kerridge’s Breadline Voices entry.
Shopping basket tracker measures weekly price changes
Today’s launch coincides with The Food Foundation’s creation of a shopping basket tracker to measure weekly price changes in what the average person may typically eat as part of an adequately nutritious diet.
The cost of living crisis has made it increasingly difficult for people to be able to afford enough food. The latest data from The Food Foundation shows 5.7 million adults (10.8% of households) suffered food insecurity between August 2021 and January 2022. Monitoring food price changes will therefore provide a ‘live’ snapshot of exactly how the cost of living crisis is affecting families across the country.
Anna Taylor, from The Food Foundation, said “The cost of living crisis is having a devastating effect on low-income families and their ability to secure the food they need. The data and what we’re hearing from the frontline both show the cost of a healthy diet is out of reach for large numbers of people, which is going to exacerbate the already shocking levels of obesity and vast inequalities.
“The Government needs to realise people are facing a crisis that needs meaningful action, including ensuring benefits are set to a level which doesn’t prevent people from eating healthily. Similarly, businesses need to ensure they are paying all employees at least the Real Living Wage.”
