COMMENT: Tax energy firms to help feed those going hungry

Children and adults are going hungry because families are struggling to afford to buy the ingredients or pay for the energy needed to cook meals.

Food banks are experiencing high demand as, in desperation, people turn to them for help.

This is the reality of life in 2022. Not in a Third World country, but right here.

We're in the middle of a cost of living crisis and millions of people are finding that their money just won't stretch to buying enough food for the week.

Today we reveal how shocking new data from national charity The Food Foundation shows a rapid rise in people skipping meals or going hungry.

It says 7.3m adults living in UK households went without food last month or physically couldn’t get it, compared to 4.7m adults in January. This figure included 2.6 million children.

Research by YouGov found the number of people struggling to buy food has risen by 57 per cent in three months, with 12.8 per cent of households (6.8 million adults) having smaller meals than usual or skipping meals completely because they couldn't afford or get access to food.

Anna Taylor, executive director of The Food Foundation, said the situation is ‘catastrophic’ for families

Office manager and mum Kathleen Kerridge, from Portsmouth, explains today how she 'lives in dread' and the steep rise in the cost of living takes a mental and physical toll. She calls it 'terrifying'.

The government has to acknowledge the effect higher energy bills are having on families and take steps to tackle the issue.

There are calls for benefits to increase in line with the rate of inflation and for access to the UK’s free school meals scheme to be expanded, plus breakfast provision and Healthy Start vouchers.

But why isn't it starting by imposing a one-off windfall tax on energy companies making billions that would help to pay for all these measures?