Shocking new data from Google has revealed UK-based searches for “foodbanks near me” increased by 39% in May compared with the same period last year.
The data, which was presented by the tech giant at the Convenience Conference 2022 on Tuesday, revealed that the squeeze on household budgets had lead to 600,000 searches for foodbanks in May alone.
Google said the data showed that the searches were distributed fairly evenly across the country, although Cumbria and East Yorkshire saw the largest increases, up 64% each compared with the previous year.
CEO of food charity The Felix Project, Charlotte Hill, said: “We know the level of need is rising, so I am deeply troubled but not surprised by these figures.
”We supply food to over a thousand organisations across London and we have hundreds more on our waiting lists and every week more are getting in contact asking for our help.”
It comes as new research from the Trussell Trust showed that 21% of people were not able to cook hot meals this summer due to the increased cost of using a cooker.
A spokeswoman from food poverty charity FareShare said: ”Three-quarters of the 9,500 charities FareShare supports have told us that they’re seeing an increased need for our redistributed food due to the cost of living crisis. That’s on top of demand during the pandemic.”
Google industry manager of consumer retail Kathy Lee said that rises in energy and food prices had led to consumers tightening their belts.
However, despite shoppers looking to pare back spending, searches for so-called affordable luxuries such as confectionery, takeaway coffee and ice cream all increased in August.
Lee said that whilst some consumers may turn away from convenience due to the perceived higher purchasing costs, the strong focus on affordable luxuries and density of more affluent shoppers in the sector would help to insulate it from the current economic pressures.
“Consumers are shifting from discretionary and lifestyle categories such as travel and nightlife towards functional expenditure such as food and personal care,” said Lee.
“Whilst we expect people to shift away from eating out, it may be small treats and affordable luxuries that remain strong during the downturn. This should help convenience retailers to navigate through the bumpy road ahead.”
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