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End of Year Stats

For the first time outside of the first year of the pandemic, food banks in the Trussell Trust network have distributed over 2.1 million food parcels in 2021-22.

The Trussell Trust calls for governments at all levels across the UK to use their powers and take urgent action now to strengthen our social security system, so it keeps up with the true cost of living. For the UK government, that means as a first step increasing benefits payments by at least 7%, so more people are able to afford the essentials we all need in life to get by.

2.1 million

The number of emergency food parcels given to people in crisis by food banks in the Trussell Trust network in the financial year 2021/22.

Between 1 April 2021 and 31 March 2022, food banks in the Trussell Trust’s UK wide network distributed over 2.1 million emergency food parcels to people in crisis. This is an increase of 14% compared to the same period in 2019/20. 832,000 of these parcels went to children.

COMPARED TO THIS TIME FIVE YEARS AGO, NEED FOR FOOD BANKS IN OUR NETWORK HAS INCREASED BY 81%.

“People are telling us they’re skipping meals so they can feed their children. That they are turning off essential appliances so they can afford internet access for their kids to do their homework.

“How can this be right in a society like ours? And yet food banks in our network tell us this is only set to get worse as their communities are pushed deeper into financial hardship. No one’s income should fall so dangerously low that they cannot afford to stay fed, warm and dry.

“There is still time for the UK government to do the right thing. We are calling on the UK government to bring benefits in line with the true cost of living. As an urgent first step benefits should be increased by at least 7%, keeping pace with increases in the cost of living. In the longer term, we need the government to introduce a commitment in the benefits system to ensure that everyone has enough money in their pockets to be prevented from falling into destitution.”

“By failing to make benefits payments realistic for the times we face, the government now risks turning the cost of living crisis into a national emergency.”

emma-revie-chief-executive-trussell-trust-8762-2

Emma Revie
Chief Executive

Hunger in the UK isn’t about food. It’s about a lack of income. We know the main drivers of food bank use in our network are:  

  • Problems with the benefits system (delays, inadequacy and reductions) 
  • Challenging life experiences or ill-health 
  • Lack of informal or formal support 

The statistics above each represent an occasion when someone has needed to turn to food banks because they can’t afford the essentials that we all need. To find out more about the experiences of people supported by food banks in our network please read our stories report.

Food bank Statistics for previous Financial Years with Regional Breakdown

Total

TOTAL 2014/15 2015/16 2016/17 2017/18 2018/19 2019/20 2020/21 2021/22
UK 1,091,282 1,112,395              1,201,286              1,354,362              1,606,700              1,909,156              2,568,597              2,173,158
England 866,481 863,870                  920,152              1,046,778              1,236,155              1,489,302              2,117,788              1,783,292
Northern Ireland 17,654 26,268                    33,896                    33,693                    37,165                    45,139                    79,436                    61,597
Scotland 119,212 135,943                  150,094                  173,529                  217,055                  238,598                  224,619                  197,037
Wales 87,935 86,314                    97,144                  100,362                  116,325                  136,117                  146,754                  131,232
East Midlands 45,484 49,366                    56,791                    67,078                    78,229                  101,788                  138,767                  126,877
East of England 100,080 101,005                  113,804                  127,027                  152,679                  190,141                  245,313                  223,962
London 108,373 112,124                  113,514                  137,248                  167,727                  204,335                  423,263                  283,563
North East 88,248 76,523                    62,280                    65,177                    89,479                    98,520                  124,495                  100,114
North West 158,079 160,803                  175,645                  198,826                  225,194                  254,221                  313,822                  252,048
South East 102,716 100,343                  111,378                  128,488                  155,688                  199,502                  304,966                  258,138
South West 100,188 93,701                  104,673                  122,384                  133,997                  163,251                  202,287                  174,805
West Midlands 104,374 103,702                  111,762                  121,048                  142,917                  169,141                  226,520                  207,665
Yorkshire and the Humber 58,939 66,303                    70,305                    79,502                    90,245                  108,403                  138,355                  156,120

Adults

ADULTS 2014/15 2015/16 2016/17 2017/18 2018/19 2019/20 2020/21 2021/22
UK                  691,638                  695,580                  757,872                  862,563              1,021,044              1,185,089              1,577,263              1,341,049
England                  541,806                  534,574                  575,693                  660,810                  779,097                  917,030              1,290,299              1,096,117
Northern Ireland                      9,992                    14,901                    19,712                    19,869                    21,860                    26,160                    48,128                    35,239
Scotland                    82,686                    91,255                  100,780                  117,543                  145,607                  157,546                  146,623                  126,997
Wales                    57,154                    54,850                    61,687                    64,341                    74,480                    84,353                    92,213                    82,696
East Midlands                    28,614                    30,672                    35,568                    42,436                    48,956                    62,503                    84,693                    80,496
East of England                    64,134                    62,512                    70,265                    78,717                    93,670                  113,854                  142,966                  131,838
London                    67,010                    69,044                    72,044                    88,534                  107,541                  129,395                  263,640                  177,355
North East                    52,815                    46,537                    39,364                    41,369                    56,202                    62,037                    78,335                    63,201
North West                    98,314                    98,807                  108,540                  123,575                  141,215                  153,835                  193,026                  154,681
South East                    64,323                    61,555                    68,328                    80,449                    98,120                  120,717                  181,886                  155,441
South West                    63,863                    59,343                    65,892                    77,109                    84,203                  100,403                  122,608                  107,391
West Midlands                    64,526                    64,186                    70,353                    77,415                    91,680                  106,886                  138,138                  130,433
Yorkshire and the Humber                    38,207                    41,918                    45,339                    51,206                    57,510                    67,400                    85,007                    95,280

Children

CHILDREN 2014/15 2015/16 2016/17 2017/18 2018/19 2019/20 2020/21 2021/22
UK                  399,644                  416,815                  443,414                  491,799                  585,656                  724,067                  991,334                  832,109
England                  324,675                  329,296                  344,459                  385,968                  457,058                  572,272                  827,489                  687,175
Northern Ireland                      7,662                    11,367                    14,184                    13,824                    15,305                    18,979                    31,308                    26,358
Scotland                    36,526                    44,688                    49,314                    55,986                    71,448                    81,052                    77,996                    70,040
Wales                    30,781                    31,464                    35,457                    36,021                    41,845                    51,764                    54,541                    48,536
East Midlands                    16,870                    18,694                    21,223                    24,642                    29,273                    39,285                    54,074                    46,381
East of England                    35,946                    38,493                    43,539                    48,310                    59,009                    76,287                  102,347                    92,124
London                    41,363                    43,080                    41,470                    48,714                    60,186                    74,940                  159,623                  106,207
North East                    35,433                    29,986                    22,916                    23,808                    33,277                    36,483                    46,160                    36,913
North West                    59,765                    61,996                    67,105                    75,251                    83,979                  100,386                  120,796                    97,367
South East                    38,393                    38,788                    43,050                    48,039                    57,568                    78,786                  123,080                  102,697
South West                    36,325                    34,358                    38,781                    45,275                    49,794                    62,847                    79,679                    67,414
West Midlands                    39,848                    39,516                    41,409                    43,633                    51,237                    62,255                    88,382                    77,232
Yorkshire and the Humber                    20,732                    24,385                    24,966                    28,296                    32,735                    41,003                    53,348                    60,840

What do these stats show?

Our statistics are a measure of volume rather than unique users, the available data indicates that people received around 2.4 food bank referrals in the last year. The data is collected using an online system into which food banks enter data from each food bank voucher, and the number of emergency food supplies is recorded.

For example, if a family of three were referred to a food bank twice in one year, this would count as six supplies on the system because it would reflect six instances of a supply going to someone in the household. However, if a family of three were only referred to a food bank once, this would count as three supplies.

Trussell Trust figures cannot be used to fully explain the scale of food bank use across the UK, because our figures relate to food banks in our network and not to the hundreds of independent food aid providers and community-groups also providing support. There are more than 1,400 food bank centres in the Trussell Trust’s UK wide network. The Independent Food Aid Network (IFAN) represents more than 500 independent food banks operating across the UK. IFAN has identified at least 1,172 independent food banks across the UK in addition to food banks in the Trussell Trust network, Salvation Army, and school-based food banks. There are also thousands of other food aid providers including soup kitchens and social supermarkets.

Read our full data briefing here. You can access breakdowns of the data to local authority level here.