Hunger in the United Kingdom

Chronic hunger has affected a sizable proportion of the UK's population throughout most of its history. The problem was largely solved with the improved economic conditions that followed World War II. Yet since the lasting global inflation in the price of food that began in late 2006, and especially since the financial crisis of 2008, severe hunger has once again began to affect thousands of Britons. By December 2013, according to a group of doctors and academics writing in The British Medical Journal, hunger in the UK had reached the level of a "public health emergency".

In the run up to the 2015 general election, the issue of hunger in the UK became somewhat politicised, with right wing commentators expressing scepticism about figures presented by church groups and left leaning activitists. An All-Party MP group focusing on hunger in the UK has called for activists to be cautious in how they discuss the problem of domestic hunger, as exaggerated claims and political point scoring risk reducing public support for tackling the issue. In a 2016 report, the All-Party group stated it is not possible to accurately quantify the number of people suffering from hunger in the UK, and called for better collection of data.

The UK has seen several changes in prevailing attitudes to the problem of hunger and its relief. In the early 19th century, a view arose that it was counter productive to assist those suffering from hunger; rather people should be left to fend for themselves, which would help them become more self-sufficient and would also assist the free market to deliver prosperity. By the early 20th century this way of thinking had been largely displaced by the humanitarian view that Britons have a moral duty to help the hungry when they are able.

Since about 2012, the return of hunger to the UK has featured prominently in British media. Despite the extensive coverage, as of 2016 it was still not possible to say exactly how many Britons were experiencing chronic hunger, due to insufficient data. Numerous reports, studies and estimates have been published however, with many but not all suggesting that for some sub sections of the population, the problem may have been growing worse since the 2008 financial crises.

According to a 2016 report by The Food foundation, there was over eight million Britons experiencing either moderate or severe food insecurity in 2014; over four million faced severe food insecurity. The report was based on UN data. Due to the relatively small survey size however, its results should only be considered indicative. Also, facing even severe food insecurity doesn't necessarily mean one is experiencing chronic hunger.

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