FOOD poverty is at a shocking level and is set to get worse, according to new research, and Salisbury charity The Trussell Trust has formed a partnership with food firm Kellogg’s to try to help those unable to feed their families.

Research compiled by Kellogg’s in association with the Centre for Economics and Business Research has found that at least 4.7 million people nationwide could be described as being in food poverty, which means having to spend 10 per cent or more of their household income on food and being forced to make poor nutritional choices.

It also found that the average household food bill is set to rocket over coming years, and the Trust and Kellogg’s have teamed up with a pledge to provide 15 million breakfasts and snacks to people in need by the end of 2016.

Chris Mould, chairman of Trussell Trust said: “The research findings are shocking, though perhaps not surprising, and are deeply concerning as they highlight the reduced level of nutrition as well as the reduction of food consumption overall.

“The research reflects what Trussell Trust foodbanks are experiencing on the ground: every day we’re meeting mothers who are skipping meals to feed their children, or people forced to choose between paying the bills or buying food.”

Single parent households and pensioners are the most likely groups to be in food poverty.

The poorest households in the UK have cut back on fruit (by 20 per cent) and vegetables (by 12 per cent) as people struggle to afford basic nutritious food.

People are spending more on food, but eating less as household spending on food and non-alcoholic drink has increased by almost 20 per cent in the past five years, but the volume of food consumed dropped by a little over seven per cent.

The poorest households in the UK spent almost a quarter of their income (23.8 per cent) on food in 2012 compared with an annual spend of around four per cent by the richest households.

The Trussell Trust estimates more than 280,000 people will be fed by its foodbanks in 2012/13.