Stockpiling not an option for poorer households

Higher food prices brought about by the climate crisis and wars are already pushing many UK households into hunger.

And, with the biggest El Niño in 1,000 years forecast to bring drier summers and wetter, stormier winters (which will impact crop yields and drive prices higher), food banks like ours are bracing ourselves for a surge in demand.

The Environment Secretary Angela Eagle is urging people to stock up on food and water in case of emergencies, but that’s not an option for people on the breadline, who struggle even to afford their weekly shop.

According to the Office for National Statistics, the price of food increased by 30% between April 2022 and July 2026. In the same period, Universal Credit, which already fell well short of covering the essentials people needed to live with dignity, only increased by around 27%.

If food prices climb in the coming months, as we expect they will, and with energy prices rising to their highest level in three years, many more UK households will face hunger.

Food and energy inflation impacts people on lower incomes much more – because they spend a higher proportion of their limited budget on these essentials than anything else. Put simply, there’s no room for making savings or cutting back spending in other areas (or for stockpiling in case of emergencies).

Not only will charities supporting the poor see a surge in demand, but we’re already seeing falling donations because fewer people can afford to give. And food banks, will also be hit hard by rising food prices. Even buying in bulk, our limited budget won’t stretch as far.

Angela Eagle’s suggestion that households prepare for resilience by storing food, is all very well but that kind of planning for a crisis requires a buffer, which visitors to food banks simply don’t have.