BLACK FAMILIES are most at risk of going hungry as rising food prices amid the cost of living crisis continues to peak across the UK.

Experts had already warned that soaring inflation rates were predicted to rise by 7.25% in April, but the BBC reports that the cost of food could skyrocket to up to 15% this year.

A shocking 20% of black and other ethnic minority households in Britain are experiencing food insecurity in comparison to just 10.8% of white British families, according to the Food Foundation.

They also report that households with children face more problems with putting food on the table than those without offspring with around 12% still dealing with food poverty. 

Emma Thompson, Ambassador Children’s Right2Food Campaign, said: “In the sixth richest economy in the world these figures speak for themselves.   

“There is absolutely no need for any child to go hungry in the UK. The fact that they are and in increasing numbers suggests cracks in a broken food system that can and must be repaired as a matter of the utmost urgency. 

“Apart from the moral duty we owe to children, this is a severe public health problem.” 

Experts have said that the start of the Covid-19 pandemic has only exacerbated existing inequalities for marginalised groups.

Government figures have shown that between 2015-2019, up to 25% of black households were already more likely to be living in persistent low income after housing costs followed by Asian households at 22% and just 12% of white households, meaning that African and Caribbean families remain more at risk to food insecurity. 

They are also more likely to work in low-paid jobs and make a living off of insecure work, according to Fair by Design.

Up to 16% of all households have been forced to cut back on the quantity or quality of food they bought as costs continue to spike in other areas like gas and electricity. 

The recent invasion of Russian forces in Ukraine could mean the cost of food could reach breaking point as two of the world’s biggest food suppliers could see exports dry up amid the conflict. 

In the past six months, families relying on income from Universal Credit are also five times more likely to have experienced difficulty buying food in comparison to households not using the monthly benefit. 

Mary-Ann Stephenson, director of the Women’s Budget Group, previously told The Voice that the £20 deduction to Universal Credit would disproportionately affect black minority ethnic families following the announcement of The Budget in October last year. 

She said: “The changes announced in the budget to increase the National Living Wage and the change to the taper rate of Universal Credit would probably give some [money from Universal Credit] of that back, but wouldn’t be enough to mitigate the overall loss.”

Anna Taylor, Executive Director of Food Foundation, said: “We should now move to a longer-term package of support for food insecure households and away from emergency measures. 

“Making the £20 uplift to Universal credit permanent is a vital part of this package, as is extending Free School Meals to all children in food insecure households. 

“The long-term effects of food insecurity on mental and physical health mean that children can’t wait.”