Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the recent report by Church Action on Poverty, Oxfam GB and The Trussell Trust Below the Breadline: The relentless rise of food poverty in Britain.

The Government noted the recent Below the Breadline report. The factors that impact on household food security are complex and include economic, social and environmental influences. There is no official definition of “food poverty”. A single measure would not be able to reflect the multi-faceted aspects of this issue. Year on year food prices have fallen for the first time since 2006 with an annual rate of inflation of -0.6 per cent in the year to May 2014. This is down from 0.5 per cent inflation in April.

We recognise the extremely valuable work of civil society groups in supporting local communities. There has long been a tradition in this country of voluntary and charity organisations providing support to people in need.