One in seven residents in Britain faced famine in 2022 as he did not have enough money to buy food, according to a report released today by the charity Trussell Trust.

As noted in the report, this corresponds to 11.3 million peoplewhile it is estimated that the situation is due to a dysfunctional social welfare system as well as the cost of living crisis.

Britain is the sixth largest economy in the world, but its residents have been hit by high inflation for more than a year. The government estimates that British households are facing the biggest two-year squeeze on their living standards since records began in the 1950s.

The Trussel Trust network, which runs 1,300 food banks across Britain, delivered a record 3 million food parcels from March 2022 to March this year, a 37% increase on the previous year and more than double the figure five years earlier.

“This continued uptrend reveals the weaknesses of the social welfare system which create (in citizens) the need to turn to food banks”, pointed out the Trussel Trust, estimating that this trend is not only justified by the covid-19 pandemic or the cost of living crisis.

The charity pointed out that 7% of Britain’s population receives support to have sufficient food, although 71% of people experiencing hunger have no access to aid.

It also said that one in five people who turned to food banks in its network live in a household where at least one member works and called on the UK government to ensure that the welfare system covers basic costs.

“We know people are struggling, which is why we are offering a record rate of financial help, worth an average of £3,300 (around €3,800) per household,” a Work and Pensions spokesman said in response to the report.

Besides, the government has increased benefits and inflation-adjusted state pensions, raised the minimum wage and provided support for families to meet essential expenses such as energy and food, he added.

Food inflation rose to 18.3% in May, according to the latest official data.

Yesterday, Tuesday, British supermarket managers rejected accusations that they are profiting from the cost of living crisis at the expense of consumers.

The rapid increases in food prices have caused the biggest squeeze on British living standards since the 1950s and raised questions about who is to blame.

Unions and politicians have accused supermarkets of greed, saying they are slow to pass on producer price cuts to consumers.