Millions of people in Britain cannot afford enough food. As a result of rising food costs, they even have to forgo meals. Economists are urging the UK government to take action or face a ‘health crisis’.
According to a survey, more and more households in Great Britain are skipping or reducing meals for financial reasons. According to the British Food Foundation, this number rose by 57 percent from January to April and affected around seven million people in the spring.
The organization surveyed more than 10,000 adults in Great Britain for its evaluation in April. According to the study, five percent of households did not eat anything at all for at least a whole day because they could not afford groceries.
The sharp rise in food and energy prices means a “catastrophic situation” for many families, said the head of the Food Foundation, Anna Taylor. “The situation is rapidly evolving from an economic crisis to a health crisis.” You can’t expect food banks to solve this crisis. The organization called on the UK government to take action against rising food prices and increase support payments to offset rising prices.
The inflation rate in Germany is higher than it has been for 40 years. FOCUS Online therefore asks: your everyday life consists only of savings? You really have to spend every penny and are constantly looking for ways to make a living cheaper? We want to tell your story. Please write to us at mein-bericht@focus.de. Please briefly describe your situation to us in an e-mail and also tell us when we could contact you by phone in the next few days. Thanks very much!
Consumer prices have risen enormously in Great Britain as in many other countries. In March they rose by seven percent compared to the same month last year. The National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) warned poorer people in particular are feeling the effects of inflation, which has recently climbed to a 30-year high. The culprit is a combination of high prices, mainly triggered by the rise in energy costs as a result of the Russian war against Ukraine, and the increase in social security contributions.
The Institute called for the government to take action to stop more people slipping into debt and poverty. What is needed is an increase in welfare, known as Universal Credit, by £25 a week between May and October and a one-off payment of £250 for 11.3 million low-income households. “Without this targeted support, we expect a further increase in extreme poverty,” stressed NIESR. Around 500,000 households would then have to decide between heating and eating.
The Ministry of Finance said the government had already decided on several measures to help poorer households. So more people could get Universal Credit. However, experts are of the opinion that the aid is far from sufficient.
In Germany, too, there are more and more people who are dependent on help in this situation and have to limit their everyday consumption. According to a survey, many want to do without unnecessary purchases in order to cope with the rising prices. In Germany, too, inflation is eating its way deeper into consumer budgets.
According to data from the Federal Statistical Office, in April food and energy prices rose at an above-average rate. According to a survey by Cologne’s trade research institute ECC, almost two thirds (61 percent) of consumers now use special offers more often. Almost half (48 percent) of those surveyed stated that they currently tend to avoid expensive brands and prefer to buy cheaper own brands from retail chains instead.
According to economists, consumers will have to adjust to inflation rates of more than 7 percent in the coming months. In April, consumer prices were 7.4 percent above the level of the same month last year. The federal government has decided on several measures, including an energy flat rate. Welfare organizations and the opposition are calling for more help for the citizens.
