Children are getting sick because parents are turning off fridges at night to save money amid the cost of living crisis, according to a food bank.
Truro Food Bank in Cornwall says kids are getting upset stomachs because their mums and dads can’t afford to chill their food.
The food bank said some children are also going into school in unwashed clothes as parents desperately try to save on energy usage.
Staff at the food bank say donations have fallen and demand for food has risen – putting further strain on low income communities.
Truro Food Bank manager Simon Fann told the BBC: ‘[We have had] reports of children having upset stomachs, or, in worst cases, food poisoning because some parents are turning their fridges and freezers off overnight.
‘The level of need we’re experiencing is now going up and outstripping the donations we’re getting at the moment.
‘That might indicate that people who were able to donate are now struggling themselves.
‘They’re not sure about their own food security and so perhaps can’t donate food in the way that they used to.’
It is estimated that half a million children will be in ‘absolute poverty’ by the end of the year as payslips struggle to keep up with record levels of inflation.
Rising taxes and energy bills are also squeezing incomes, leading to the biggest fall in living standards in 70 years.
Today, a UK council became the first in the country to declare a cost of living ’emergency’ with the aim of giving Boris Johnson a ‘wake up call’.
The government faced a backlash yesterday after voting down a windfall tax on oil and gas profits that could save families £600 this year.
Conservative MPs have come under fire for offering ‘out of touch advice’ to help people who are struggling, including telling them ‘get better better paid jobs’, ‘cook from scratch’ and buy ‘value branded’ food.
A chef put one of those claims to the test when he tried to cook a healthy meal on a 30p budget – which he said was not possible.
Across the country, food banks have reported disturbing stories of hardship, from a child fainting with hunger in the queue to parents skipping meals to save money for their children.
Despite providing a crucial lifeline, there are fears about how food banks will continue to operate amid ‘soaring demand’.
This is being fuelled by a growing cohort of children, first-time food bank users and people who are struggling to get by while in work, the Independent Food Aid Network (IFAN) said today.
The organisation said the situation ‘is becoming more alarming by the day’ and members are ‘running out of options’.
IFAN coordinator Sabine Goodwin said: ‘Today’s alarming inflation figures will inevitably mean that the numbers of people seeking the support of food banks will rise yet further.
‘Independent food banks are already struggling to cope and are desperately worried about how they can possibly continue to operate as poverty levels spiral out of control.’
The Energy Saving Trust said it did not recommend turning fridges or freezers off ‘for any amount of time’.
A spokesperson explained that they are ‘designed to be kept on all the time and it’s important for food safety reasons to store your food at the appropriate temperature’.
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