‘There are people eating kibble and heating food with candles’: what poverty is like in the UK

Rising poverty in the UK is leading people to feed themselves on kibble, while others are heating food on radiators or with candles.

The complaint was made by Mark Seed, director of a community feeding project in Trowbridge, in the east of Cardiff, capital of Wales.

BBC analysis of data from the 2021 British Census indicates that six of the poorest communities in Wales, one of the four nations that make up the United Kingdom, are in that district.

However, NGOs caution that struggling families are not just to be found in areas long associated with poverty and urge that policies focus on people, not places.

The situation in Cardiff portrays a challenging scenario that many face in the UK due to rising inflation – reports like Seed’s add to those of many other citizens living in different parts of the country.

Almost a third of single mothers or fathers are skipping one of the meals of the day to survive, according to a recent survey by the Which group on families hardest hit by the inflationary crisis in the country.

Members of three in ten single-parent households surveyed said they had skipped a meal as a result of rising food prices. In total, the same situation occurs in 14% of the households that participated in the study.

“Families across the UK are facing difficulties due to the rising cost of living, with single parents being hardest hit by the crisis,” Rocío Concha, director of policy and activism at Which, told the British newspaper The Guardian.

‘Poverty Arc’

Trowbridge sits on what Seed calls the “poverty arc” running east to west of Cardiff.

“I’m still amazed at people eating kibble,” he says.

🇧🇷[Há] people trying to heat food on a radiator or with a candle. These are shocking true stories,” he adds.

“Cardiff is a prosperous city, but it has pockets of poverty that are simply unacceptable,” says Seed, who reports that people don’t earn enough to pay for essentials.

The inflationary crisis only aggravated the situation.

🇧🇷[As pessoas] tell us they work all the hours they can,” he explains.

The Pantry, the food bank run by Seed, provides good quality food at very low prices for over 160 people.

One is Elizabeth Williams, 54, who says the project “makes a big difference” and brings people together, but admits her situation is very difficult.

“Typically, I try not to spend to improve things around my house,” she says.

She and her partner do not work, while their son, who lives with them, works long hours.

“Even with my son working and contributing, it’s difficult, because he also has to live and has needs. He has several problems and is waiting for surgery”, he says.

For decades, West Wales and the Valleys region received additional funding from the European Union (EU) because they were among the poorest regions in Europe, but Cardiff was not included because, in terms of average living standards, it is not considered a poor region.

Victoria Winckler, director of the Welsh NGO The Bevan Foundation, warns of the dangers of stereotyping large areas or towns as poor or prosperous.

“The stereotype is that Cardiff is prosperous and the valleys are poor, but the numbers show this is not the case,” she says.

“There are areas of Cardiff that are prosperous, yes, but there are also quite significant areas of the Welsh capital where people don’t live so well,” he adds.

For the organization, it is essential that supermarkets ensure that prices are easy to compare and that there is a variety of offers for different budgets.

“As prices continue to rise, it is critical that all people have access to healthy, affordable food for themselves and their families,” adds Concha of Which.

The latest official data show that food inflation in the UK reached 16.4% in October, the highest level since 1977.

This is mainly due to the strong increase in basic basket products, such as milk, butter, cheese, pasta and eggs.

Single-parent households and retirees allocate a larger portion of their income to food, electricity and gasoline, around 30%. For couples with children, this percentage drops to 25%, according to official calculations.

However, all households are spending significantly more than last year on essentials.

One 40-year-old woman told interviewers that, due to the cost of her bills, some weeks she is barely able to feed her children.

Another person added: “I’m not eating properly so I can feed and clothe my children and still have enough to (pay for) electricity.”

According to data revealed this week by the Confederation of British Industry, the UK economy is heading for a contraction of 0.4% next year due to inflation and the fear of large companies to invest.

This text was originally published here.