Foodbanks in Scotland provided almost 240,000 food packages last year
/This article was featured in the SCDC Weekly - 18th June 2025
New data from the Trussell Trust has shown that despite seeing a fall, emergency food parcels were distributed 239,500 times in Scotland last year.
The report details a 10% decrease in food parcels from 23/24 - which was the most parcels ever distributed in a year - but that over the last decade distribution has risen 101%, and 111% for children.
Food parcels are distributed disproportionately to children aged 0-16, accounting for 32% of all parcels - almost double their population in Scotland (17%). That compares with just 2% distributed to people over 65, who make up 20% of the population.
While year-on-year figures are falling, more than 670,000 people faced hunger in Scotland, and the Trussell Trust has called on "significantly more investment" to reduce poverty and hardship.
Further cuts to social security across the UK are set to drive more people into poverty, with organisations saying that measures such as increases to the Scottish Child Payment, while welcome, will not be enough to achieve key child poverty targets.
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