Compiled by polling firm YouGov, the figures reveal that 12.2% of UK households are food insecure, up from 11.3% a year ago.
To assess whether a household is food insecure, the Food Foundation asked participants whether they had eaten smaller meals or skipped them entirely due to a lack of money or access to food; been hungry but not eaten because of financial or access constraints; or gone without food for an entire day due to a lack of funds or access.
If respondents answered yes to any of these questions, they were deemed to be living in a food insecure household.
Households with children hardest hit
Alarmingly, this figure rises to one in six households (16.7%) among those with children, up from 14.9% a year ago.
The Food Foundation said this equates to 6.5 million adults and 2.2 million children across the UK living in food insecure households.
Almost one in ten households (9%) have accessed food support in the past six months, with food banks the most commonly used source of assistance.
More than a third of households (39%) reported that it is more difficult to afford food than it was a year ago, while two in five (41%) said they are concerned about affording food in the next month.
Among food insecure households, 65% bought less fruit and 55% bought fewer vegetables in the past month.
Vulnerable groups such as single-parent households (27.1%), households receiving Universal Credit (35.9%) and households with someone affected by a disability (19.2%) are particularly affected.
Cost barriers remain
The data also identified price as a barrier to healthy eating among lower-income households, with two-thirds of respondents (65%) agreeing that more affordable fruit and vegetables would help their household consume more of them.
A further 65% said that discounts and promotional offers on fruit and vegetables would help their household eat more, while half (50%) said vouchers or loyalty card discounts would encourage greater consumption.
Calls for government action
In light of the findings, the Food Foundation has set out a list of priorities for recently appointed prime minister Andy Burnham:
• Introduce a support package to help low-income families afford healthy food, including an expansion of Healthy Start, the benefit for parents with children under four.
• Introduce a Good Food Bill to provide long-term nutritional security and protection for citizens and farmers, including legally binding targets on food insecurity, fruit and vegetable consumption and obesity.
• Rapidly introduce the prevention commitments outlined in the government’s NHS 10-year Health Plan, including mandatory reporting of healthy product sales by large businesses.
• Support local authorities to improve access to nutritious food in deprived neighbourhoods through the Government’s Food Strategy and Pride in Place programme, enabling communities to act on local priorities.
Anna Taylor, executive director of the Food Foundation, said: “Two years on from Labour coming into power and one year since the government published its ambitions for a Good Food Cycle, food insecurity levels in the UK remain unacceptably high.
“International conflict and unprecedented weather patterns are forecast to drive food prices up even further by the end of the year.
“The new Prime Minister must take bold steps to ensure everyone can afford and access a healthy diet. We need urgent action to ensure the most vulnerable families are protected, and a Good Food Bill that sets out a long-term statutory framework for building public health and national and household resilience.”
