14,000 families in Northern Ireland cannot afford to eat two meals a day, new research has revealed.
Thousands of householders were living without the basics and found meat, fish, fresh fruit and vegetables too expensive to consume every day. Thousands more said they often skimped on food so that other family members could eat.
"These findings present a bleak portrait of contemporary life for the bottom third of households in Northern Ireland," said Professor Mike Tomlinson, School of Sociology, Social Policy and Social Work at Queen's University.
Job losses, pay freezes and spiralling food prices were blamed for the increasing levels of hardship which left 115,000 adults and children (6.4% of the population) not properly fed by today's standards. The proportion of families unable to heat their homes also hit an all time high of 13% compared to 3% a decade ago. Around 10% of people were living in a damp home and did not have enough money to fix the problem.
Families also spoke of the constant struggle to keep up with bills and 43% admitted they could not pay for an unexpected but necessary bill of £500. A further 6% said they could not afford a computer and internet access for children to do their homework while a third of adults were unable to regularly save at least £20 a month.
Thousands of householders were living without the basics and found meat, fish, fresh fruit and vegetables too expensive to consume every day. Thousands more said they often skimped on food so that other family members could eat.
"These findings present a bleak portrait of contemporary life for the bottom third of households in Northern Ireland," said Professor Mike Tomlinson, School of Sociology, Social Policy and Social Work at Queen's University.
Job losses, pay freezes and spiralling food prices were blamed for the increasing levels of hardship which left 115,000 adults and children (6.4% of the population) not properly fed by today's standards. The proportion of families unable to heat their homes also hit an all time high of 13% compared to 3% a decade ago. Around 10% of people were living in a damp home and did not have enough money to fix the problem.
Families also spoke of the constant struggle to keep up with bills and 43% admitted they could not pay for an unexpected but necessary bill of £500. A further 6% said they could not afford a computer and internet access for children to do their homework while a third of adults were unable to regularly save at least £20 a month.
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