Seriously disabled people experience five times the level of food insecurity as the wider population.
Adults with disabilities have consistently been more acutely affected by food insecurity during the pandemic compared with those without disabilities, a report by the Food Foundation found.
The report states that 25% of disabled people, who are limited a lot by their impairments, experience food insecurity. While 5% of the non-disabled population experiencing food insecurity.
It said that many people who have health problems or disabilities did not qualify for the Government Food Parcel Scheme due to the very strict criteria.
The report also found that almost half of disabled adults had problems getting essential items, with 38% reporting that they were unable to book a supermarket delivery slot in the last three weeks.
The Food Foundation is urging the government to make food security a priority to ensure the long-term health and resilience of the nation.
Report authors said society must move away from short-term solutions, including food banks and emergency food aid, recognise that poverty is a root cause and prioritise policies that will address the underlying causes.
Fazilet Hadi, Disability Rights UK head of policy said: ‘Experiencing food insecurity is a symptom of poverty, benefit levels are far too low and are not enabling disabled people to live safely or with dignity.
‘Despite this, the chancellor failed to extend the £20 uplift per week to those on legacy benefits.
‘There needs to be a fundamental review of the level of benefits, accepting that many disabled people will rely on the safety net for longer, due to ill health or impairment and or discrimination in securing employment.’
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