There has been an awful lot written over recent months about
the very real struggle that a lot of people are having due to the cost of
living crisis.
Coming on top of the pandemic & years of austerity, many
families are really struggling to heat their homes and put food on the table.
It's not just those on benefits either; many working families are now
struggling too.
The recent huge hike in energy prices has pushed many who
were just about managing, over the very steep edge of a very high cliff.
The number of people having to resort to using foodbanks has
risen dramatically and many foodbanks are now giving out food parcels to people
who once were in a position to donate items to foodbanks but now rely on those
places to feed their families.
It is all very well some very vocal tory MP’s talking about
how those who use foodbanks need to learn how to budget better and improve
their cooking skills but you can’t make a meal out of nothing. If the fridge and
the cupboards are empty then not even a Michelin 5 star chef is going to be
able to feed the kids.
Shopping around and buying cheaper alternatives of staple
foods is all well and good if you have access to various supermarkets and have
the means to get there. If you are struggling to put a decent meal on the table
then it’s unlikely that you have a car and have to rely on public transport,
which is costly in many areas. If you happen to live in a rural or isolated
community then you may well not have access to regular public transport either.
Those who do the rounds on tele and radio saying how easy it
is to feed a family on 30p or how a bag of pasta will feed a family of 4 really
have no idea at all of how others live. These people live what is seen my many
as a life they can only dream about. Putting their meals on expenses or eating
& drinking in the highly subsidised restaurants in Parliament.
Many of you may know that I live on a small Scottish island;
we moved here 20 years ago. The only supermarket here is Co-op; they have 2
stores. One is a regular shop and the other is a small convenience type store
where the prices are often higher and the range a lot smaller.
The main store has been through various incarnations over
the years; it was Safeway when we first moved here is 2002 then Morrison’s, Somerfield and finally it turned into a Co-op.
The island is lucky to have 2 butchers, a fishmongers and a
greengrocer aswell but as a vegetarian we only use the greengrocers
occasionally as their prices are often a lot higher than the already expensive
Co-op.
I wanted to write this piece today to highlight the fact
that as food prices are ever increasing due to things like Brexit, the war in
Ukraine and the general cost of living crisis, for some people the struggle is
even harder if you live in rural or isolated communities.
So, here is a short price list of items I buy regularly from
my local Co-op. Bear in mind that I can only shop online due to being
housebound so don’t have the option of buying reduced price items or the luxury
of shopping around.
This week’s shop included the following items:
Box 10 free range eggs - £1.35 (now £1.40)
4pt fresh whole milk - £1.50 (now £1.80)
Fresh cauliflower - £1.00 (now £1.10)
300g pack fresh mushrooms - £1.10
1kg bag carrots – 66p
4 pack loo roll - £1.50
Iceberg lettuce – 70p
250g unsalted butter - £2.00
1lite bottle sunflower oil - £1.80 (currently out of stock)
1.5kg strong bread flour - £1.20
335g piece fresh broccoli – 70p (now 75p)
Fresh swede – 85p
Pack 6 fresh tomatoes – 66p (now 80p)
Tin co-op baked beans – 44p
Co-op tin chopped tomatoes – 52p (now 55p)
In recent weeks several items have increased in price. The
box of eggs has gone up 10p; the loo roll has increased by a whopping 15p and
the butter has increased by 30p a pack.
I would really like to see that tory MP produce a meal for
30p on the prices I have to pay for basic food stuffs. Instead of patronising
people who are having to resort to using foodbanks by saying they need to learn
to cook properly and budget better he needs to have a reality check and
understand why so many people are having to resort to using these place. It’s
not just people on benefits who need foodbanks but people who are working,
nurses, teachers, etc. Also, it's not just a matter of not being able to afford basic food items; many people also can't afford the increased energy costs so have no way of cooking food. Telling people to cook a proper meal is pointless if they don't have any money on the meter for the cooker.
Remember that under the tories, who have been in power since
2010, the number of foodbanks in UK has dramatically increased. In February 2021 there were over 1,300 Trussell
Trust food banks and over 900 independent food banks in UK.
Many people who have never had to before are now having to
turn to foodbanks to survive. Only yesterday I saw a post on twitter about a 91
year old lady who was so ashamed that she needed to use a foodbank because of
the cost of living crisis.
Demonising people who use foodbanks and who are struggling
to cope is the tory way unfortunately and has been their staple line of attack
for decades. If you are poor, on benefit or struggling then it’s seen as your own fault
and you are nothing more than a scrounger. Same with the elderly, disabled, homeless
and otherwise vulnerable.
Things are that bad now that the places who try to help those
most in need are now struggling themselves and many small foodbanks are running
out of supplies because they are not getting the donations in.
It is a vicious circle and as usual it is always those at
the bottom who are affected the most.
What is the answer? To be honest, I don’t know. What I do
now is that it is a complex issue and trying to paper over the cracks is never
going to work. Until we have a system that cares about everyone then nothing
will change. Sadly, most people only care about themselves.
Being a kind, compassionate, caring person who wants to see a more equal society where everyone has the ability to live a better life is often seen as being a bad thing. Thankfully there are some good people out there who are trying their best to help others. Without them, things would be an awful lot worse than it is for so many people.
Sadly, things are going to get even worse
before they get any better.
Footnote Aug 2022 - I have also noted that over recent months the value range that the Co-op have (called Honest Value) has been dramatically scaled back. Not sure if it is just in our local store or is happening across all of their branches but their regular own label stuff has also been cut back. Seems they are moving towards only stocking major branded goods which is not good for those of us on limited incomes who have no other shopping options.
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