23 May 2023 , 23:01
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One in six parents has gone hungry so they can afford to feed their children, a poll has revealed.
The cost of the weekly shop has rocketed in recent months, with grocery price inflation hovering around 17.2%, according to analysts at Kantar.
Spiralling bills have forced one in six (17%) of parents to go without so their children have enough to eat in the last year, while one in four (25%) said they had skipped meals, according to a new survey.
Some hard-up families have even stopped buying fruit (13%) and meat (11%) to cope with rising bills.
Nearly one in two parents (48%) say they have started reduced items, while half (51%) have switched to a cheaper supermarket.
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More than half (51%) have given up takeaways and one in two (47%) no longer eat out in restaurants, the poll found.
Families with kids under 18 are being hit hard by rising grocery bills (Getty Images)Rishi Sunak has faced calls to help families by cracking down on supermarkets and retailers charging sky-high prices.
Food and drink prices are inflation hit an eye-watering 19.2% in the year to March, almost twice the overall rate of 10.1%.
Liberal Democrat Leader Sir Ed Davey said: “These shocking findings are a damning verdict on this Conservative government’s record on the cost of living crisis.
"Jeremy Hunt has sat on his hands while food prices spiral out of control, forcing parents to make heart-breaking decisions.
“Enough is enough, Conservative ministers must act now to tackle soaring food bills before more families suffer.
"That means immediately expanding free school meals, giving farmers more support with their energy bills and cracking down on profiteering by the big supermarkets.”
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt met with food manufacturers yesterday, as well as the Competitions and Markets Authority (CMA) which is carrying out investigations into road fuel and groceries markets.
Ahead of the summit, he said: "High food prices are proving stubborn so we need to understand what’s driving that.
“That’s why I’m asking industry to work with us as we halve inflation, to help ease the pressure on household budgets.”
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:: Savanta interviewed 2,089 UK adults, including 700 parents with children under the age of 18, online between May 19 and 21.
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