One in ten parents has used food banks over the last 12 months, as families continue to struggle with the rising cost of living.
A study carried out for Barnardos, found the number of families using food banks has more than doubled from 4% in the last survey.
29% of parents say they've skipped meals or reduced their own portion sizes over the past 12 months to make sure their children had enough food.
19% said they didn't have enough food for their children in the past 12 months, up from 15% in January 2022.
3/ All children in Ireland should live in homes that have sufficient food available and where parents are not resorting to drastic measures to afford food. pic.twitter.com/eWOm1DmGOw
— Barnardos Ireland (@Barnardos_IRL) February 8, 2023
The children's charity says it's seen an increase in demand for its services and is very worried about the impact of rising bills are having on families’ mental health.
Almost half of the parents surveyed (47%) said inflation has had a negative impact on their ability to afford groceries.
Almost half of those surveyed (43%) said they had to cut down on spending on clothes to provide their children with food which is up from 36% in January 2022.
