There have been calls for Stormont to take decisive action on food poverty as new figures reveal over 35,000 emergency food parcels have been distributed in Northern Ireland in six months alone.
Anti-poverty charity Trussell revealed its community of food banks distributed the emergency parcels across Northern Ireland between April and September this year. This includes 14,000 parcels provided for children facing hunger.
The majority of food parcels were distributed to families with children, with 71% of parcels going to households with children aged 0–16 between April and September, the charity reports. In addition, 7,400 people visited a food bank for the first time in these months.
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While the total number of parcels provided across Northern Ireland is 5,111 fewer when compared to the same period last year, representing a 13% decrease, the figure stands at 93% greater than 2019.
Trussell says there are a number of possible reasons for this recent dip, such as an increase in food aid providers across Northern Ireland, a gradual slowdown in the extortionate price hikes we experienced on food and bills in recent years, and the 6.7% uprating in social security payments in April.
However, Trussell says it’s difficult to say if there has been an actual drop in hunger and hardship. The need for emergency food is still persistently high. The number of food parcels provided in the first half of 2024/25 is almost double the number provided in the same period in 2019.
Despite this, the following Stormont constituencies (pre-2024 boundaries) have still seen an increase in the number of parcels distributed: Foyle, Newry and Armagh, and West Tyrone.
All UK nations saw a small decrease in the numbers of emergency food parcels distributed, with Wales falling by 7%, Scotland by 6%, England by 4%, and the UK by 4%. Trussell says while food banks are a last resort for people who’ve been left isolated, facing hunger, and without enough money to live on, many are at breaking point due to years of growing numbers of people forced through their doors.
Winter is often the busiest time for food banks and Trussell is calling on the public to continue to play their part and support their local food banks to meet this urgent need, by volunteering, donating, fundraising or campaigning to help end hunger in Northern Ireland.
Trussell says the evidence is clear that hunger in Northern Ireland isn’t a food problem, it's an income problem. People are being forced to turn to food banks because incomes from work, and social security payments, do not cover the cost of the essentials, such as food, bills, and toiletries.
Jonny Currie, Network lead for Northern Ireland at Trussell, said: “As both the Northern Ireland Executive and UK government hold back from more decisive action to ensure everyone can afford the essentials, the sheer numbers of people still facing hunger and hardship across Northern Ireland is heartbreaking. This cannot go on and we refuse to stand by while so many of us are pushed to the brink, left without enough money to live on.
“The UK government was elected with a manifesto pledge to end the need for emergency food and the time to act is now. The Northern Ireland Executive also has a vital role to play. . That’s why we are urgently calling on both to plan urgent and decisive action to end hunger once and for all.”
Trussell are calling on the UK Government to introduce a protected minimum floor in Universal Credit, to limit the amount of reductions that could be applied to a household’s Universal Credit.
As for the Northern Ireland Executive, the charity is calling on them to:
Ensure the final Programme for Government includes a clear commitment to addressing hunger and hardship. Prioritise implementing an Anti-Poverty Strategy. This should identify short, medium, and long-term objectives to tackling poverty with corresponding and measurable outcomes and targets, alongside a corresponding budget linked to achieving these objectives alongside a corresponding budget linked to achieving these objectives. Prioritise the extension of the current welfare mitigations and strengthening them, including addressing the five-week wait for Universal Credit and call on the UK government to introduce a protected minimum floor in Universal Credit, to minimise the need for mitigations. Call on the UK government to scrap the two-child limit and in the meantime, mitigate the two-child limit to help larger families in Northern Ireland. Provide support to private renters affected by the Local Housing Allowance.Tomorrow, food banks and people with lived experience from the Trussell community, are meeting with MLAs from all parties, voluntary and community sector partners, and key civil servants to discuss the policy recommendations that are required for ending the need for food banks in NI.
Lynsey Agnew, Manager at Lisburn foodbank, said: “While summer was quieter than expected we are gearing up for a busy winter. People are nervous for what is coming, and we are already getting requests coming through for support for so much more than just food.
“Not only are many of the people using the food bank struggling to buy food, but they have no heat and no money for Christmas presents for their children. There is no need for so many to struggle so much in Northern Ireland. We need change and we need it soon.”
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SDLP communities spokesperson and West Tyrone MLA, Daniel McCrossan, has challenged the communities minister to explain how he intends to tackle the number of people relying on food banks.
He said: "I wish I could say that these figures were shocking, but we have been hearing similar warnings from the Trussell Trust around a long-term increase in food bank use for some time and there has been very little done by the Executive to tackle it. This 35,000 figure includes 14,000 children and it’s heartbreaking to think that there are that many people in our society struggling to put food on the table, never mind children going hungry.
"That 7,400 people visited a foodbank in the North for the first time between April and September points to a serious problem that isn’t going away. Many families are still struggling with the cost of living and we have heard reports of people at all levels of our society having no option but to turn to food banks.
"I am directly urging the Communities Minister to outline what engagement he and his department have had with the Trussell Trust and what he intends to do to reduce these appalling figures. We are still without an anti-poverty strategy and this wasn’t even mentioned in the Executive’s draft Programme for Government. Unless they start treating poverty with the seriousness it deserves then we are going to see more and more people left without vital support and struggling to feed themselves and their families.”
To find out more about how you can support food banks and Trussell please visit: https://www.trussell.org.uk/
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