One in four UK adults at risk of hunger and potential malnutrition following lockdown

That is the main finding of a survey published today by Feeding Britain and Northumbria University's Healthy Living Lab.

The survey finds that 25% of adults have struggled during the pandemic to access food they can afford, and are likely to have been susceptible to hunger and potential malnutrition as a result. Meanwhile, nearly one in four adults looking after children have eaten less so they can feed the children in their household.

Half of all adults have tried to cope during the pandemic by purchasing less expensive food which they would not ordinarily choose to buy. That figure rises to nine in ten amongst adults who live in households that are the least food secure and most susceptible to hunger and potential malnutrition. Adults within this group are also the most likely to have used coping strategies which involve wasting less food, planning meals more carefully, and cooking main meals from scratch.