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Public health expert: 'Extremely harsh' benefit sanctions are causing rising hunger
‘Extremely harsh’ welfare sanctions are causing rising hunger and wider use of food banks, a public health body has warned.
John Middleton, vice president for policy at the Faculty of Public Health, said benefit delays were preventing people on low incomes from eating healthy diets and that a national healthy food policy should have greater emphasis on affordability.
Statistics from the Health and Social Care Information Centre show the number of people admitted to hospital in England and Wales with malnutrition rose by 19% from 5,469 to 6,520 over the past year.
The Faculty of Public Health says food prices have gone up by 12% since 2007, while at the same time wages fell by 7.6% in relative terms.
It also says that food poverty has led to an increase in rickets and malnutrition.
Dr Middleton said: ‘There are many reasons why some people can’t afford a healthy diet. One of the main reason people give for using food banks is that they have not been paid their benefits on time.
‘The extremely harsh benefits sanctions regime being applied cuts off people’s incomes acutely and completely and causes hunger. Food poverty also affects hard-working families on low wages, whose household budgets have been stretched.’
He added: ‘We need to see a national healthy food policy with greater emphasis on access, affordability and nutritional value. We also need the living wage for everyone, given the public health benefits it would bring. After all, it cannot be right that people can be in full-time work and still struggle to make ends meet.’
