Scottish Labour MSP Sarah Boyack has said next year must be the year Scotland enshrines a statutory Right to Food in law, as figures show food bank use soaring in Edinburgh.
The Trussell Trust’s mid-year statistics show that the number of food parcels handed out in Edinburgh has soared by 35 per cent since 2017.
The number of parcels given to children has risen even more drastically, increasing by an appalling 77 per cent, with 10,378 parcels being given out in the space of just six months.
This includes a shocking 3,189 parcels for children in the City of Edinburgh whose parents need urgent support now. Its worrying that the number of these parcels has risen by 29 per cent since 2017.
Scottish Labour have said this proves there must be no more delays to the introduction of a legal right to food in Scotland.
Scottish Labour have long campaigned for a statutory right to food in Scots law. The SNP and the Greens both backed this policy in the 2021 Scottish Parliament election, however in May the SNP-Green government voted against Labour’s attempt to introduce a Right to Food during the Good Food Nation Bill.
Commenting, Scottish Labour MSP Sarah Boyack said: “As the cost of living crisis piles pressure on households, more and more people in Edinburgh are being forced to turn to food banks.
“Families are at breaking point and parents are struggling to feed their children.
“It is more urgent than ever that we enshrine people’s right to food in Scots law, but the SNP-Green government keep kicking the can down the line.
“There is no more time to delay – this year must be the year we embed the right to food in law at last.”
Trussell Trust Mid Year Statistics 2022-23 – 1 April 2022 to 30 September 2022:
| Local Authority | Number of parcels for children | Total number of parcels distributed | Increase in parcels for children compared to 2017 | Increase in total parcels compared to 2017 |
| Aberdeen City | 1,273 | 3,576 | 97% | 168% |
| Aberdeenshire | 1,243 | 4,315 | 143% | 149% |
| Angus | 388 | 1,335 | -5% | -29% |
| City of Edinburgh | 3,189 | 10,378 | 29% | 35% |
| Dumfries and Galloway | 584 | 2,162 | 2681% | 1088% |
| Dundee City | 2,656 | 7,675 | 200% | 139% |
| East Ayrshire | 1,027 | 3,367 | 115% | 116% |
| East Dunbartonshire | 922 | 3,195 | 73% | 67% |
| East Lothian | 2,058 | 5,488 | 217% | 197% |
| East Renfrewshire | 993 | 2,811 | 44% | 69% |
| Falkirk | 1,334 | 4,276 | 44367% | 3215% |
| Fife | 3,176 | 8,397 | 107% | 91% |
| Glasgow City | 6,271 | 15,614 | 13% | 5% |
| Highland | 1,375 | 3,691 | 54% | 13% |
| Inverclyde | 710 | 3,008 | 29% | 38% |
| Midlothian | 1,535 | 3,073 | 225% | 136% |
| Moray | – | – | ||
| Na h-Eileanan Siar | – | – | ||
| North Ayrshire | 620 | 2,528 | -40% | -26% |
| North Lanarkshire | 1,733 | 4,805 | 250% | 197% |
| Orkney Islands | 112 | 390 | 26% | 48% |
| Perth and Kinross | 1,139 | 3,674 | 125% | 64% |
| Renfrewshire | 1,308 | 4,290 | 13% | 2% |
| Scottish Borders | 102 | 304 | 10100% | 3700% |
| Shetland Islands | 172 | 841 | ||
| South Ayrshire | 1,329 | 4,016 | 130% | 88% |
| South Lanarkshire | 2,731 | 7,848 | 95% | 73% |
| West Dunbartonshire | – | – | ||
| West Lothian | 1,800 | 5,316 | 169% | 156% |
*Figures compare 1 April to 30 September 2017 with the same period in 2022.
Source: https://www.trusselltrust.org/news-and-blog/latest-stats/mid-year-stats/
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