Britian's poorest going hungry: Are we heading the same way?

steddyeddy

Link from the Independent here

Millions of the poorest people in Britain are struggling to get enough food to maintain their body weight, according to official figures published this month.

The Government's Family Food report reveals that the poorest 10 per cent of the population – some 6.4 million people – ate an average of 1,997 calories a day last year, compared with the average guideline figure of about 2,080 calories. This data covers all age groups.
One expert said the figures were a "powerful marker" that there is a problem with food poverty in Britain and it was clear there were "substantial numbers of people who are going hungry and eating a pretty miserable diet".
The use of food banks in the UK has surged in recent years. The Trussell Trust, a charity which runs more than 400 food banks, said it had given three days worth of food, and support, to more than 492,600 people between April and September this year, up 38 per cent on the same period in 2013.
Based on an annual survey of 6,000 UK households, the Family Food report said the population as a whole was consuming 5 per cent more calories than required. Tables of figures attached to the report reveal the average calorie consumption for the poorest 10 per cent, but the report itself did not highlight this.
Chris Goodall, an award-winning author who writes about energy, discovered the figures while investigating human use of food resources. "The data absolutely shocked me. What it shows is for the first time since the Second World War, if you are poor you cannot afford to eat sufficient calories," he said.
He also highlights a widening consumption gap between rich and poor. In 2001/2, there was little difference, with the richest 10th consuming a total of 2,420 calories daily, about 4 per cent more than the poorest. But in 2013, the richest group consumed 2,294 calories, about 15 per cent more than the poorest.
The report, published by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, also found that the poorest people spent 22 per cent more on food in 2013 than in 2007 but received 6.7 per cent less.
Benefit cuts, shrinking pay packets and the rise in the cost of groceries have been cited as reasons for the rising demand for emergency help (Getty)
Liz Dowler, a professor of food and social policy at Warwick University, said that although calorie intake is hard to measure and that there were problems with the way the Family Food data is collected, it was clear that "there are substantial numbers of people who are going hungry and eating a pretty miserable diet.
"The story of people struggling is now beginning to show up in national data sets and that's a pretty bad sign."
While the true numbers of people not getting enough to eat was hard to establish from the report, she added: "I think the numbers are quite a powerful marker of the problem. The size and nature of the problem needs more work."
Professor Dowler said people who were struggling to get enough calories would often turn to high-energy food, such as chips, that can have a low nutritional value. "You can stave off hunger by just having some relatively cheap calories but if you live like that day after day your health will suffer significantly," she said.
"At the extreme, [malnourishment] is a cliff edge, but mostly it's not. It's a slow, miserable grind of bodily impoverishment, where you're gradually depleting your body's stores and your strength is way below what it should be. Your skin is very pale, you are exhausted all the time, you feel very low, often extremely depressed and you find it difficult to work.
"Children who are malnourished cannot concentrate at school, have endless coughs and colds and they get sick all the time. It's a pretty negative existence."
Susan Jebb, a professor of diet and population health at Oxford University and a member of Public Health England's obesity programme board, said people tended to under-report their calorie intake and noted that it did not appear that people were "significantly losing weight".
However, she added: "There are sub-groups of the population who are in food poverty and who are struggling to have enough to eat."
Chris Mould, the chairman of the Trussell Trust, said people who used food banks were genuinely desperate. "We talk to people who have had nothing but toast to eat for a week – usually parents because they are trying their best to keep their children fed," he said.
"This issue has been so significant for so many years now without proper co-ordinated action to try and address the causes, with the people who are responsible [the Government] repeatedly diverting attention from the issues and denying the reality of what the Trussell Trust has been saying, and calling it scaremongering."

I don't know if we are heading this way but some of the comments under the article suggest one fallacy is still alive and well in the minds of some "If you are poor you deserve it and if you're rich you worked for it". The circumstances of your birth largely determine how your life will pan out. It's a lot harder for some people to be successful than others.

braddun

been like that in Ireland for years

Highflyer13

I'd well believe it. Income inequality gaps are growing rapidly.

steddyeddy

braddun wrote: »

been like that in Ireland for years

Ireland has seen a rise in the numbers of people using food banks alright. Doubtlessly people here will say it's all because of drink, drugs or miss-management of funds.

BoJack Horseman

So, as per the above..... If the poorest 10% eat 1 slice of bread more per day, they will reach government recommended calorie intake (for an active adult).

Is that a crisis?

steddyeddy

cousin_nigel wrote: »

not in ireland , the gap has narrowed in the past six years

admitting this would put many out of work and deny them a spot on vincent brownes panel

Ireland's certainly not as bad as Britain. Schools like Eton serve to widen the gap between rich and poor in Britain. We have no comparable schools here.

Chinasea

braddun wrote: »

been like that in Ireland for years

No it hasn't. Our welfare is generous, not to mention the numerous benefits. Food is cheap.

Sick of listening to this clap trap. The UK welfare payments are in no way near as high, nor is the social housing rental as incredibly low as our system and benefits.

steddyeddy

Chinasea wrote: »

No it hasn't. Our welfare is generous, not to mention the numerous benefits. Food is cheap.

Sick of listening to this clap trap. The UK welfare payments are in no way near as high, nor is the social housing rental as incredibly low as our system and benefits.

I'm not saying we are. I'm saying Britain's society is in a worse situation right now.

kneemos

Loads of cheap food about.Cheap burgers in McDonald's,Aldi etc.The Dole is a pittance in the UK though.

smcgiff

Unless government totally take over the running of peoples lives there will be some that cannot take care of themselves.

How many of these people prioritise food over other expenditure, such as alcohol. That may not account for everybody, but I suspect a lot.

Should government intervene when more affluent eat enough to make themselves obese?

Armistice

I think the UK has a much wider gap between the haves and the have nots.

In Ireland we're all more or less the same regardless of whether we are working or not.

There are of course extremely rich people and homeless people at the opposite end of the spectrum but nowhere near as wide a gap as the UK.

In the UK it is perfectly normal to have an average salary of 16K a year in one region and an average salary of 55K a year in another.

I know plenty of folks who moved down from Derry to do a similar job in Dublin as they were getting paid 10K a year in Derry for something that pays 26K in Dublin.

Massive difference.

Armistice

I think the UK has a much wider gap between the haves and the have nots.

In Ireland we're all more or less the same regardless of whether we are working or not.

There are of course extremely rich people and homeless people at the opposite end of the spectrum but nowhere near as wide a gap as the UK.

In the UK it is perfectly normal to have an average salary of 16K a year in one region and an average salary of 55K a year in another.

I know a few lads who moved down from Derry to do the same job in Dublin as they were getting paid 10K a year in Derry for something that pays 26K in Dublin. (same employer)

Massive difference.

handlemaster

Bright side they will keep in shape

steddyeddy

cousin_nigel wrote: »

so the whole problem can be encapsulated via the existance of eaton ?

No not one school. The gap in equality of opportunity generated by such schools makes circumstances of birth determine how hard you have to work to get to a certain level.

steddyeddy

Guys I'm saying Britain is a lot less progressive than Ireland. I'm asking could we get to this stage.

steddyeddy

smcgiff wrote: »

Unless government totally take over the running of peoples lives there will be some that cannot take care of themselves.

How many of these people prioritise food over other expenditure, such as alcohol. That may not account for everybody, but I supect a lot.

Should government intervene when more affluent eat enough to make themselves obese?

You mean how many are alcoholics? You're simplifying it hugely. I'm saying that there is a huge inequality in life opportunities from birth which leads to problems later in life.

Fr_Dougal

kneemos wrote: »

Loads of cheap food about.Cheap burgers in McDonald's,Aldi etc.The Dole is a pittance in the UK though.

It's cheaper to eat healthy than eat McDonalds junk food.

steddyeddy

cousin_nigel wrote: »

few terms make me more uncomfortable than that loaded term " progressive "

it oozes smugness

Well I don't see how the use is wrong?

Ten of Swords

If things get really bad then the government can always dust off the cheese plan from a couple of years ago

Cantremember

Terrible to think of people going hungry again. It needs a very thorough agenda free investigation: doubt we'll get that.

Karl Stein

Fr_Dougal wrote: »

It's cheaper to eat healthy than eat McDonalds junk food.

For kids that is contingent on parents giving a fuck.

quader

m8p0ooppx

quader

I'm sorry

quader

The only

smcgiff

steddyeddy wrote: »

I'm saying that there is a huge inequality in life opportunities from birth which leads to problems later in life.

This is true. Have you a plan?

Capercaille

Ireland's poorest are going hungry also, but they will still have the satellite TV, internet, flat screen TV etc. Poor devils

mikemac1

It's grim up North

Heroditas

BoJack Horseman wrote: »

So, as per the above..... If the poorest 10% eat 1 slice of bread more per day, they will reach government recommended calorie intake (for an active adult).

Is that a crisis?

There would be less of a health crisis with obesity if more people were "only" consuming just under 2000 calories a day.

steddyeddy

smcgiff wrote: »

This is true. Have you a plan?

Yes I help people in a volunteer capacity in getting people into science and engineering courses who may have missed a chance due to lack of opportunity. That's my plan I also would love to change the way college entry system determines college entry.

suicide_circus

We need to tax working people more

Capt'n Midnight

one in ten here too.
http://healthyfoodforall.com/food-poverty/

One in ten people in Ireland are living in food poverty, which is defined as the inability to have an adequate and nutritious diet due to issues of affordability and access to food with related impacts on health, culture and social participation.
...
The Department of Social Protection published research (Carney & Maitre, 2012) based on SILC data from 2004-2010 which found that 10% of people in lreland (almost 450,000) were in food poverty.

http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/food-banks-to-tackle-poverty-crisis-264290.html

Food banks are to be set up by charities across the country in an attempt to feed the estimated 600,000 people suffering from food poverty.

The move is a collaboration between Bia Food Bank, an Irish charity formed in June 2012, and St Vincent de Paul, which has a target distributing up to 20,000 tonnes of food annually to needy people.