FOOD bank use in Scotland has risen faster than that of the UK as a whole in the past year, it has emerged.

The Trussell Trust – the biggest food bank network in Britain – has today revealed a 17 per cent spike in the number of grocery parcels distributed between April 2017 and the end of March.

The jump is higher than the 13 per cent rise recorded for the UK as a whole and takes the number of three-day packs given out by volunteers here to 170,625.

Worryingly, almost 55,040 of these went to children. The figure covers only supply parcels, not the school holiday meal programmes delivered by some food banks.

Local staff are alarmed by the increase, which the charity says is driven by the difference between benefit payments and the rising cost of living.

“Low income – benefits, not earning” is the fastest growing reason for referral and accounts for almost one third of cases, prompting claims that there is “an urgent need to look at the adequacy of current benefit levels”.

Meanwhile, Universal Credit problems are also said to be driving demand. In a report published today, the charity states: “Universal Credit is currently unable to provide a well-functioning service for some of the people in our society most in need of support, leading to an increased burden on the third sector.

“Poor administration, the wait for the first payment, and repayments for loans and debts are driving some people to severe financial need. This is particularly acute for families with dependent children and disabled people.”

On the number of children helped, Scotland area manager Laura Ferguson told The National: “That figure is really scary. What future do our children have if they are not getting enough meals to learn?

“Food has a massive impact on people’s lives. If you’re tired and not eating properly then your circumstances are much more difficult to deal with.”

She went on: “The levels of poverty are still quite hidden. There are still people out there who have no food in their cupboards and nobody knows about it.

“There are still people out there who think people using food banks are scroungers. We are constantly trying to push back on that. Using a food bank is not something to be ashamed of, but it’s not something we should have to do.”

As in the rest of the UK, referrals to food banks in Scotland show “reduction in benefit value” has the fastest growth rate of all referral growth rate of all referrals made due to a benefit change, and those due to “moving to a different benefit” have also grown significantly. While food bank clients reported issues with a range of benefits, Universal Credit was found to be “a significant factor” in many areas. New analysis of food banks that have been in full Universal Credit rollout for a year or more shows that demand rose by more than 50 per cent on average in the following 12 months, compared to the same period the previous year.

Meanwhile, the change at food banks where Universal Credit had not been fully implemented, or had been in place for up to three months, was just 13 per cent on average.

The Department for Work and Pensions said the Trussell Trust evidence was “anecdotal” and drawn from a small, self-selecting sample, adding: “Universal Credit is working for the vast majority who claim it.”

Citing “significant improvements” including 100 per cent advances and the end of the seven-day waiting period, a spokesperson said: “The reasons why people use food banks are complex, so it’s wrong to link a rise to any one cause.”

However, Communities, Social Security and Equalities Secretary Angela Constance said: “Countless organisations have shown how the rise in the use of food banks is linked directly to the UK Government’s welfare cuts and benefit sanctions. Those cuts which continue to be rolled out have been exacerbated by the chaotic introduction and fundamental flaws of Universal Credit and are pushing more and more people into poverty, and increasing the demand for emergency food. It is unacceptable that people are being forced to rely on food banks, which is why we have £1.5 million fair food fund to support people in need.”