One in four children in Scotland facing hunger

One in four children in Scotland are facing hunger, new research from the Trussell Trust has found, as the charity warns hardship is becoming “normalised”.

The latest Hunger in Scotland report found that one million people in Scotland experienced food insecurity in 2024, of whom 210,000 were children.

And nearly a quarter of food bank users were from working households, up from 17 per cent in 2022.

Low income is the main driver of growing food insecurity, with the charity highlighting flaws in the social security system as one major obstacle.

The Trussell Trust is calling on the Scottish Government to take steps to deliver a tangible reduction in food bank need, including increasing the Scottish Child Payment to £40 per week and providing a grant to cover the five-week wait for Universal Credit.

Cara Hilton, senior policy manager and former MSP, said: “Hunger and hardship are increasingly seen as a normal part of everyday life in Scotland, with working people and families with children being hit particularly hard…

“This is not an inevitable trend, but the result of systems that urgently need updating – particularly our social security system. It isn't right that so many Scots from all walks of life – including pensioners, disabled people, working families, and carers – are struggling to make ends meet.”

Across the UK, 14.1 million people were living in food insecure households last year – around 16 per cent of households, compared to 15 per cent in Scotland.

Food insecurity means households were unable to afford food, have reduced the size of meals for cost reasons, or gone hungry due to lack of money.

About five per cent of Scottish households turned to charitable provision for food last year, while 67 per cent of people who experienced food insecurity did not turn to a food bank.

Hunger was disproportionately experienced by disabled people, ethnic minority groups and LGBT+ communities.

Working-age people were more likely to experience food insecurity than those over 65, while children were also overrepresented. Adults living alone were also over-represented among food bank users.

Most households referred to food banks were not in work, but 24 per cent were – with those employed in manual and service jobs most likely to face hunger.

The Trussell Trust has urged Scottish ministers to follow through on its commitment to mitigate the two-child cap on certain benefits, provide better support for disabled people to access work, and increase the Scottish Welfare Fund.

At UK level, it recommends scrapping the two-child limit altogether, promoting uptake of social security benefits, and implementing an ‘essentials guarantee’ so Universal Credit covers the cost of food, bills and travel. The survey found that people referred to food banks were left with an average of £148 per week after housing costs to cover those essentials.

The trust warns people’s incomes are so low that small changes to household circumstances – such as an unexpected bill or a car breaking down – is enough to drive them towards a good bank.

Crystal Clayton, project manager at Renfrewshire Foodbank, said: “As rents go up, bills go up, and the cost of food goes up, incomes aren’t going up and this means we’re seeing more people in work coming through our doors. It feels like there is no way out of poverty for some people, and we need the government to take action now.”

The Trussell Trust provided 239,503 parcels via its food banks in Scotland last year.