One survey respondent, Jackie Rudd from West Suffolk, reported that rising energy prices have left less room in her budget for grocery shopping, leading to her skipping meals two to three times a week.
She said: 'The last week of the month, meals are missed. If you have no money for a loaf, then there's no lunch and if there's no milk, then there's no breakfast. Basic groceries have gone up to stupid levels - the loaf of bread I usually buy has gotten smaller and more expensive.'
Here, we set out things you can try if you're struggling to buy food and where to find help if your situation worsens.
Use up food you already have
Take stock of what you have in your fridge, freezer and cupboards, then try to use what you’ve already got to put meals together.
Find out more:Try surplus food bags
The discounter is offering surplus food bags or ‘magic bags’ which contain a range of grocery products that are approaching their sell-by or use-by dates - and as a result you only pay a third of the price. The bags cost £3.30 each, and you’ll be getting at least £10 worth of food.
To get a ‘magic bag’ from Aldi, download the free Too Good To Go app, search for your nearby Aldi store and reserve a bag to collect from the store at an allotted time.
Get free food and help avoid food waste
Olio can get you access to free food near you. It’s a free app where people and businesses can give away unwanted food.
Once you’ve downloaded the Olio app and selected your local area, you can see what’s being offered near you.
You will need to collect any of the free food you claim, but there’s no referral needed, and it’s usually run on a first come first served basis.
Find out more:Switch to a cheaper supermarket
Each month we track the cost of a basket of groceries at the biggest supermarkets and often find a big gap between the cheapest and most expensive.
Find out more:Take advantage of free and cheap food from supermarkets
Find out more:Make the most of loyalty schemes and targeted discounts
Loyalty schemes from supermarkets are free, and can go some way to helping you make savings on your grocery shopping.
Find out more:Check if you're eligible for benefits
Give the or the enefits you might be eligible for.Claiming benefits can help you unlock other help. For example, yIn Wales, meanwhile, universal primary free school meals are currently being rolled out, starting with the youngest children in primary schools.
Find out more:Try the Household Support Fund
You may also be able to get help with essential costs from your local council, through the Household Support Fund.
This is deigned to help if you’re struggling to afford food, essential items and energy and water bills.
Use the Healthy Start scheme
The NHS scheme encourages a healthy diet for pregnant women, babies and young children from low-income households.
If eligible, you’ll get a card with money loaded onto it that you can use at certain shops and supermarkets, to help you buy milk, vegetables, pulses and infant formula.
Sainsbury’s is currently topping up the government-funded NHS Healthy Start scheme by £2, and it has also extended the Healthy Start coupon initiative to Wales and Northern Ireland until 11 April 2023. Eligible customers in England who use a Healthy Start card when shopping at Sainsbury’s will automatically receive a printed coupon worth £2 to use on their next shop.
Find out more:Find out how to access your local food bank
Food banks are community organisations that can help if you can’t afford to buy the food you need.
You usually need to get a referral to a food bank before you can go to one. You can get a referral for yourself and any family members you live with, including your partner.
You can get a referral to access a food bank by contacting:
Make an emergency appointment with one of the above to explain your situation. Whichever organisation refers you to a food bank will give you a voucher and tell you where the food bank is.
The food bank will give you a food parcel, which usually contains enough food for three days, as well as essential toiletries.
Contact charities and organisations for money help
If you are in urgent financial crisis, there are a few organisations and charities you can reach out to:
Which? calls on supermarkets to do more
Which? has launched an Affordable Food For All campaign.
We're calling on supermarkets to commit to clear pricing, better access to budget ranges that enable healthy choices and more offers for those who need them most.
* Online poll conducted monthly by Yonder on behalf of Which?. It is weighted to be nationally representative and has approximately 2,000 respondents per wave.
source https://www.which.co.uk/news/article/what-to-do-if-youre-struggling-to-afford-groceries-awHPX5c4kSDr