Nearly 240,000 emergency food parcels delivered to Scots in last year – charity

Nearly 240,000 emergency food parcels were handed out by a charity to Scots facing hardship last year.

The Trussell Trust said that about half of them were for households with at least one child.

Some 239,503 food parcels were given to those in need between April 2024 and March 2025 – the equivalent of one parcel every two minutes and double the amount provided a decade ago.

Trussell said the proportion of parcels going to families had increased by 111% compared to ten years ago, with 140,221 delivered over the last year.

The charity, one of a number of organisations that operate food banks, said its staff were now reporting levels of hardship that were “heartbreaking”.

It said some parents were forced to ration their own food to ensure they could feed their children, while others were in such desperate need they opened food parcels and ate before leaving the food bank.

Overall, the figures represent a 10% dip from the previous year in Scotland, but Trussell warned the need for emergency food is “persistently high”.

It has warned the UK Government not to go ahead with its plans to cut billions from the welfare budget, mostly from a crackdown on those receiving disability benefits.

It said that disabled people were already overrepresented at food banks, with three in four people referred to Trussell reporting that at least one member of their household has a disability.

Trussell warned the proposals could push more people into hardship.

It also called for the Scottish Government to take action, including uprating the Scottish Child Payment to £40.

Cara Hilton, policy manager in Scotland at Trussell, said: “Thousands of children, families, disabled people, working people, and older people from across Scotland needed to access food banks for emergency food in the past year.

“A whole generation of Scots have now grown up in a country where sustained high levels of food bank need feels like the norm and this should be a massive wake-up call to both the Scottish and UK Governments and a stark reminder of their responsibilities to the people of this country.

“The recent programme for government was a missed opportunity to take the bold action and change we need to see in Scotland if we are to turn the tide on hunger and hardship.

“The First Minister has rightly put eradicating child poverty at the heart of his government’s programme, but this ambition and commitment needs to be matched with action and at scale.

“At UK level, the Westminster Government will fail to improve living standards unless they row back on their harmful policy choices on disability benefits otherwise, they risk leaving a legacy of rising food bank need. Addressing hunger and hardship for both governments must be a priority.”

The Scottish and UK Governments have been approached for comment.