Firstly, I would like to wish all of my constituents a very Happy New Year!
While the festive season is a time of joy and celebration, with the coming together of friends and family, I know that it can also be an incredibly tough period for many, particularly those struggling financially.
Many will have felt the increased expense at the checkout this Christmas with the rising cost of food.
Compared to the previous year, the price of free-range turkeys increased by five per cent, frozen turkeys by 8.5 per cent, carrots by 21.5 per cent, potatoes by 26 per cent, and parsnips by nearly 15 per cent.
These increases reflect the broader price hikes of food across the board, and for those on low incomes, they are simply unaffordable.
Food insecurity in Scotland and the UK has steadily increased, particularly in the last five years with the Trussell Trust reporting a 51 per cent rise in food bank usage in Scotland from 2017/18 to 2023/24.
In the Highlands and Islands, food affordability is a critical issue as the Scottish Human Rights Commission found in its recent research.
The report highlighted increased referrals, demand, and usage at foodbanks in Shetland, Orkney, Na h-Eileanan an Iar, Sutherland, Caithness, Skye, and Lochaber.
Alarmingly, it indicated that 40 per cent of working families now depend on food support services due to the rising cost of food.
Although food bank use helps us understand the scale of the problem, it doesn’t tell us the whole story.
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Many people don’t reach out for help, and instead, they cut back on essentials or go hungry.
During the pandemic, we saw an increased demand for emergency food aid. Communities across Caithness and the Highlands and Islands came together in remarkable ways – community fridges were set up, and volunteers delivered food parcels to vulnerable households.
Although Covid-19 and the cost-of-living crisis which soon followed increased reliance on food banks, they did not create the need.
Instead, they exposed a long-standing crisis – a weak social security system that fails to protect people from hardship.
The Trussell Trust identifies four key issues affecting food bank users: lack of awareness about available support; challenges in claiming and maintaining benefits (especially disability benefits); insufficient income from benefits; and further reductions due to sanctions, caps and debt deductions.
These problems can be traced back to austerity measures introduced by the Tory/Lib Dem coalition, including Universal Credit, the bedroom tax, and cuts to Disability Living Allowance, all of which have deepened poverty and increased inequality.
While it shouldn’t be necessary to mitigate the impact of Westminster’s decisions, the Scottish Government has stepped in, investing £1.2 billion over the past 14 years to ease the burden on households, including £133 million in the past year alone.
The SNP government has also built a compassionate and progressive social security system, offering 15 benefits, seven of which are unique to Scotland.
This includes the Best Start Foods payment, which supports pregnant mothers and families with children under three by helping them access healthy foods like milk and fruit.
Also, the Scottish Child Payment – the most ambitious child poverty reduction measure in the UK – is helping support families to pay for essential items, like food.
Meanwhile, the UK food industry has warned of rising prices in supermarkets, cafes, and restaurants throughout 2025 due to the UK government’s hike in employers’ National Insurance contributions.
It’s time for the Labour government to deliver on its promises and come forward with meaningful policies that address poverty, not worsen it.
Maree Todd is SNP MSP for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross.