The Food Poverty Scandal That Shames Britain: Nearly 1M People Rely On Handouts To Eat – And Benefit Reforms May Be To Blame

[interestrateripoff]

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/churches-unite-to-act-on-food-poverty-600-leaders-from-all-denominations-demand-government-uturn-on-punitive-benefits-sanctions-9263035.html

The shocking scale of food poverty in Britain is exposed today by new figures showing record numbers of people are reliant on handouts because of punitive benefits sanctions.

More than 900,000 people were given emergency food in the past year, an increase of 163 per cent, according to figures from the Trussell Trust, the biggest food bank charity. The explosion in demand has coincided with an increase in those seeking help following a benefit sanction.

A coalition of anti-poverty charities, including the Trussell Trust, claims the figures show that the UK is breaching international law by violating the human right to food.

Separately, 600 church leaders from all major denominations, including 36 Anglican bishops, are writing to the Government today, calling for urgent action to address hunger among the poor.

1m Britain's not working hard enough?

[1929crash]

This can't be true!

I mean, the Prime Sinister is a follower of Jesus who fed the 5000, and all that.

[olliegog]

but those 1m people (families?) are not the same 1m all the time - it is a short term problem that is met by a charity - where is the problem - those who have donate and those who need receive.

I am not being hardhearted but I fail to see that this is a human rights problem until I see starving children begging in the streets as in third world countries.

FYI - I do donate goods to my local food bank and hope it really helps those in a short term crisis.

but didn't the news just trumpet how food inflation has fallen and the 4 pints for a £ of milk war help with the weekly shop.

[1929crash]

but those 1m people (families?) are not the same 1m all the time - it is a short term problem that is met by a charity - where is the problem - those who have donate and those who need receive.

I am not being hardhearted but I fail to see that this is a human rights problem until I see starving children begging in the streets as in third world countries.

FYI - I do donate goods to my local food bank and hope it really helps those in a short term crisis.

but didn't the news just trumpet how food inflation has fallen and the 4 pints for a £ of milk war help with the weekly shop.

So it's only a problem when children are visibly starving in the streets?

Long before that, children will be lethargic, probably stay at home, suffer developmental disorders and so on.

And I don't recall any news outlet recently talking about food price inflation going down. There is no such figure as food price inflation - which anyone attached to reality will realise is very high.

Edited April 16, 2014 by 1929crash

[@contradevian]

Sad people have to rely on food banks, from the pics, nothing looks healthy or fresh, the kind of crap I'd avoid at a supermarket. Everyone should have access to a decent allotment sized plot if they want it yet Pickles is trying to get it sold off. Plenty of land in this country, just start kicking off the rentiers, Royals and ancestral land owners. Why we are honouring 500 + year old property rights when land was acquired through State sanctioned theft is beyond me.

Yes welfare reform is up for debate. But so must land reform, and on a massive, almost revolutionary scale.

But land reform is never up for debate. I wonder why.

Edited April 16, 2014 by aSecureTenant

[Wurzel Of Highbridge]

Sad people have to rely on food banks, from the pics, nothing looks healthy or fresh, the kind of crap I'd avoid at a supermarket. Everyone should have access to a decent allotment sized plot if they want it yet Pickles is trying to get it sold off. Plenty of land in this country, just start kicking off the rentiers, Royals and ancestral land owners. Why we are honouring 500 + year old property rights when land was acquired through State sanctioned theft is beyond me.

Yes welfare reform is up for debate. But so must land reform, and on a massive, almost revolutionary scale.

But land reform is never up for debate. I wonder why.

I was talking to a small time ex-farmer at the weekend who was left 60 acres of land many years ago. He now collected the single farm payment on the land and rents it out.

He hasn't worked for years, drives a new BMW and has a nice detached farm house.

[winkie]

I was talking to a small time ex-farmer at the weekend who was left 60 acres of land many years ago. He now collected the single farm payment on the land and rents it out.

He hasn't worked for years, drives a new BMW and has a nice detached farm house.

There is a local landowner not far away that allows local people to grow food to eat on land they aren't using....they do not charge rent.

[Bloo Loo]

I was talking to a small time ex-farmer at the weekend who was left 60 acres of land many years ago. He now collected the single farm payment on the land and rents it out.

He hasn't worked for years, drives a new BMW and has a nice detached farm house.

thats what management does...employs someone else to do the work.

[TheCountOfNowhere]

These idiots need to get into BTL.

Let them eat bricks.

[Billy soy]

but those 1m people (families?) are not the same 1m all the time - it is a short term problem that is met by a charity - where is the problem - those who have donate and those who need receive.

I am not being hardhearted but I fail to see that this is a human rights problem until I see starving children begging in the streets as in third world countries.

FYI - I do donate goods to my local food bank and hope it really helps those in a short term crisis.

but didn't the news just trumpet how food inflation has fallen and the 4 pints for a £ of milk war help with the weekly shop.

This inflation is falling meme is dross, inflation in food prices is rising just not as much as it was.

[Corruption]

This inflation is falling meme is dross, inflation in food prices is rising just not as much as it was.

The pound has gained 12% v the USD in the last year, youd expect inflation to fall.

[porca misèria]

Hmmm ...

Thinking back to the diet I was on when in real poverty. The one that's under £2/week at today's prices based on one meal a day from a packet of lentils and the cheapest supermarket pasta, plus whatever little luxuries one could find at the best discounts.

It's more expensive now than ten years ago when I started to be able to afford a little more[1]. But it's cheaper now than it was five years ago, due to the price of the pasta having fallen back considerably from its peak of 41p[2] for the cheapest 500g packet.

Should we consider that kind of minimalist yardstick when talking of this nebulous "food price inflation"?

[1] 2004 was when my income rose to between £30 and £40/week after rent but before council tax and other bills, leaving me feeling positively rich by comparison.

[2] I think it briefly even hit 43p, though I'm not 100% sure. 41p was sustained for well over a year.

[Corruption]

Hmmm ...

Thinking back to the diet I was on when in real poverty. The one that's under £2/week at today's prices based on one meal a day from a packet of lentils and the cheapest supermarket pasta, plus whatever little luxuries one could find at the best discounts.

It's more expensive now than ten years ago when I started to be able to afford a little more[1]. But it's cheaper now than it was five years ago, due to the price of the pasta having fallen back considerably from its peak of 41p[2] for the cheapest 500g packet.

Should we consider that kind of minimalist yardstick when talking of this nebulous "food price inflation"?

[1] 2004 was when my income rose to between £30 and £40/week after rent but before council tax and other bills, leaving me feeling positively rich by comparison.

[2] I think it briefly even hit 43p, though I'm not 100% sure. 41p was sustained for well over a year.

You just have to look as how fat and overweight most poor people are in this country and to see food inflation isnt that much of a problem.

[shaunandelly]

Rely on food banks or use food banks?

[Smyth]

poor people are disproportionately obese anyway (especially women, where those in the bottom 20% are twice as likely to be fatties as those in the top 20%). Maybe if we cut the handouts we could make aesthetic improvements to the country.

Edited April 16, 2014 by Smyth

[Smyth]

(as a serious reply though, the bulk of people who have to use food banks and other emergency sources of food arent 'poor' as such, they are people undergoing short term problems, typically changes to benefits, and homelessness. These are the people who the welfare system should be helping. People who 'live in poverty' - ie long term benefit recipients and low-wage workers - do not suffer from food shortage because they are getting a huge amount of assistance in government benefits, typically to the tune of £10-20k tax free. The benefit system should be reformed to give more short term assistance to those in emergency situations, and this should be funded by drastic and wide-ranging cuts to the amount of long-term assistance people are given)

Edited April 16, 2014 by Smyth

[porca misèria]

(as a serious reply though, the bulk of people who have to use food banks and other emergency sources of food arent 'poor' as such, they are people undergoing short term problems, typically changes to benefits, and homelessness. These are the people who the welfare system should be helping. People who 'live in poverty' - ie long term benefit recipients and low-wage workers - do not suffer from food shortage because they are getting a huge amount of assistance in government benefits, typically to the tune of £10-20k tax free. The benefit system should be reformed to give more short term assistance to those in emergency situations, and this should be funded by drastic and wide-ranging cuts to the amount of long-term assistance people are given)

Are you channelling Frank Field there?

[winkie]

Rely on food banks or use food banks?

......Food banks are charity, and people are free to give their time and or money to who or what they want.....supermarkets sell more charity products, so they can't complain.

There are plenty of government departments and organisations that waste money, plenty of good food is put into land fill.......think about it.

[olliegog]

So it's only a problem when children are visibly starving in the streets?

Long before that, children will be lethargic, probably stay at home, suffer developmental disorders and so on.

And I don't recall any news outlet recently talking about food price inflation going down. There is no such figure as food price inflation - which anyone attached to reality will realise is very high.

no if you read my post I said it was not a human rights problem as children are not starving in the streets as in some 3rd world country or famine hit country. - suggest you read my post.

The news last night said food price inflation was falling (as is the cost of petrol) - obviously you did not see it. I am not saying it is true just that there should be enough money for those with children (child tax credits, child benefit etc) to avoid the starvation syndrome.

reality - I know it very well - I grew up in the 50s when food was scarce and some rationing was still in force :angry:

I do support food banks because I know that single unemployed have very little help and they may need short term help.

[wonderpup]

but I fail to see that this is a human rights problem until I see starving children begging in the streets as in third world countries.

Remind me again how much it has cost us- and is still costing us- to bail out the bankers-I did not see any of them starving in the streets before the money was handed out.

Of course we could not infringe their 'human rights' by clawing back any of the money they made by bankrupting the nation- that would be just wrong.

[olliegog]

Remind me again how much it has cost us- and is still costing us- to bail out the bankers-I did not see any of them starving in the streets before the money was handed out.

Of course we could not infringe their 'human rights' by clawing back any of the money they made by bankrupting the nation- that would be just wrong.

not even close to understanding what I wrote - did I mention bankers?

the article was talking about 'human right to food' (a new one on me as no-one is actually 'starving' (distended stomachs and the rest) in this country because we have child tax credits, child benefit and free school meals.

[chronyx]

Food poverty? ********.

NUTRITION poverty

I was in Amsterdam this weekend gone.

Guess how many fat people I saw.

4. FOUR!

There were more lardy English people than that on the damn flight home.

[@contradevian]

(as a serious reply though, the bulk of people who have to use food banks and other emergency sources of food arent 'poor' as such, they are people undergoing short term problems, typically changes to benefits, and homelessness. These are the people who the welfare system should be helping. People who 'live in poverty' - ie long term benefit recipients and low-wage workers - do not suffer from food shortage because they are getting a huge amount of assistance in government benefits, typically to the tune of £10-20k tax free. The benefit system should be reformed to give more short term assistance to those in emergency situations, and this should be funded by drastic and wide-ranging cuts to the amount of long-term assistance people are given)

Its Katie Hopkins!

[oracle]

This can't be true!

I mean, the Prime Sinister is a follower of Jesus who fed the 5000, and all that.

dum de dum de dum.

that's because they WANT people in food poverty/dependancy.

food banks are not run by some kindly old sandal wearing hippy reverends with beards.

the name of the game is central planning and CONTROL...end of story.

..so we have to do completely the opposite.

[wonderpup]

not even close to understanding what I wrote - did I mention bankers?

the article was talking about 'human right to food' (a new one on me as no-one is actually 'starving' (distended stomachs and the rest) in this country because we have child tax credits, child benefit and free school meals.

My point was that the bar you set for a breach of human rights- children starving on the streets- was far too high- in fact it has clearly been established that human rights include the rights of failed bankers to walk away with their wealth intact even as the institutions they led to ruin are bailed out by some of the very taxpayers whose child benefits have been cut to pay for it.

Edited April 16, 2014 by wonderpup