Food bank charities have condemned the “scandal” of poverty in the UK after disturbing new figures revealed that hundreds of Brits died from malnutrition or hunger last year. Figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) indicate that 391 people died from malnutrition or hunger last year, a 27 percent increase compared with nine years earlier. Hospitals saw 746 admissions for malnutrition in 2015, an average of two per day, according to official government figures. Health minister Nicola Blackwood confirmed the number in a written answer in Parliament. The ONS statistics indicate there were 59 deaths “where the underlying cause was malnutrition” in 2006, a figure which rose to 79 in 2015. The Trussel Trust – which operates Britain’s biggest food bank network – condemned the findings.
The charity runs more than 425 food banks across Britain and supports thousands of people.
Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron said the figures represent a “national scandal” for a developed nation. “Many people think of malnutrition as a problem that only affects the Third World. But the reality shown by these figures is that we have a problem at home too.
Source: RT |