Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

How the pandemic brought a rising tide of hunger to Europe

How the pandemic brought a rising tide of hunger to Europe

In Europe -- home to some of the richest countries and most generous social safety nets -- concerns around hunger and deprivation existed long before the Covid-19 crisis.

Life wasn't easy for Patricia, even before the pandemic hit.

She struggled with mental health issues after fleeing an abusive relationship, moving herself and her children into an east London flat with nothing more than the clothes on their backs.

For the past few years, Patricia held down a job as a barista, but she was furloughed after the Covid-19 crisis exploded and the United Kingdom went into lockdown. As the money got tighter, she found herself resorting to a food bank to help feed her family.

"You feel like you're going through it by yourself with your kids, and it's hard to explain to them what you're facing at the time when they just want to eat -- they don't really understand food poverty," said Patricia, who we are only identifying by her first name to protect her identity.

"[Without help] I don't even know how to describe it, I probably would have just been in a corner," she told CNN. "Mentally, it would've just took me to another place."

Like many others in the east London borough of Tower Hamlets -- one of the most deprived areas in the British capital -- Patricia turned to the First Love Foundation.


Co-founder and chair of the First Love foundation, Aerold Bentley loads crates packed with goods for distribution.


The charity -- which gives out food to those in need on top of providing other services including housing and legal assistance -- said it saw a 925% surge in demand during the early stages of the pandemic.

"When we saw Covid coming, that was a game-changer for us," said Denise Bentley, founder of the First Love Foundation.

Bentley says the pandemic only added to the food insecurity already felt by many in the UK, especially in Tower Hamlets. "There's this heaviness in the community, a heavy feeling of 'this is just the way it is; we're overlooked, this is my lot, this is the rest of my life'... it's sad," she told CNN.

An ongoing struggle


The pandemic has only widened the ever-growing divide between the haves and have-nots.

In July, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said the virus had "laid bare" risks and inequalities known for decades, and warned that "entire regions that were making progress on eradicating poverty and narrowing inequality have been set back years, in a matter of months."

But even in Europe -- home to some of the richest countries and most generous social safety nets -- concerns around hunger and deprivation existed long before the Covid-19 crisis.

In 2019, a report by Eurostat estimated that there were 92.4 million people in the EU who were at risk of poverty or social exclusion, equivalent to 21.1 % of the total population.

Another Eurostat report from 2018 revealed that 33.4 million Europeans were unable to afford a meal with meat, fish, or a vegetarian equivalent every second day -- highlighting the sheer scale of the problem across Europe.

And when the pandemic hit, things got even worse.



More and more people in Europe's biggest cities began to fall into food poverty and rely on food banks for help -- increasing demand on an already overstretched network of largely voluntary organizations.

The Trussell Trust, Britain's biggest food bank network, said they experienced a 47% increase in need during the early stages of the pandemic, and for the first time in its 70-year history, UNICEF announced it would feed hungry children in the UK amid the growing number of kids at risk.

More widely, the European Food Banks Federation (FEBA) reported a food demand increase of around 30% across their European network of 430 food banks -- with a range of 6% to 90% in different countries -- in comparison to pre-Covid times.

Jacques Vandenschrik, president of FEBA, says that although EU nations are often seen as being the gold standard for welfare programs, food banks are having to fill in the gaps left by individual governments -- including smaller nations previously under authoritarian regimes.

"We do a job that in a communist or socialist country did not exist, because there was no need for a food bank, because the state would provide everything," said Vandenschrik. "[Food banks] would like to disappear, they would like a situation where nobody requires food aid, where food insecurity has disappeared," he added.

"To achieve this, we need to have a fundamental re-look at the whole system -- the whole system of producing food, our food feeding habits -- and look at the way food is distributed."

Food poverty fragility


The stark reality is that many people across Europe are just a couple of missed paychecks, or a traumatic life event, away from potentially needing assistance from a food bank.

"It can happen to anyone," said Patrice Blanc, president of French foodbank Restos du Cœur.

Blanc said a "tide" of hunger caused by the pandemic led to a 40% rise in food bank demand across France this year. The northern suburbs of Paris have been particularly affected, Blanc said, with hundreds of people queuing round corners of food banks every day.

"It's not them that should be shamed, but society that should be ashamed," said Blanc, adding that societal stigmas around food bank usage may be stopping people from reaping the other benefits they bring.



"What food banks provide is not only food, they provide also social relationships. Poverty is not only a question of income, it's also a question of loneliness, and the fight against loneliness."

It's a sentiment echoed by Jochen Brühl, chairman of Tafel Deutschland, a food bank that supports over 1.6 million people in Germany, Europe's biggest economy.

"Many of the people who are threatened or affected by poverty also have the issue of loneliness and psychological stress on their mind," he said. "We have been pointing out to politicians and society for many years that it is not the task of Tafel to eliminate poverty, but it is our task, or so we see it, to support people."

Brühl said that better welfare measures coupled with governmental action could be a way out for many who are struggling.

"The task of politics and society must be to put the topic of poverty more on the agenda, and through Covid, it's all focused again in a burning glass."

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Germany Votes to Suspend Family Reunification for Asylum Seekers
Budapest Pride Parade Draws 200,000 Participants Amid Government Ban
Southern Europe Experiences Extreme Heat
Xiaomi's YU7 SUV Launch Garners Record Pre-Orders Amid Market Challenges
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's Lavish Wedding in Venice
Russia Launches Largest Air Assault on Ukraine Since Invasion
Massive Anti-Government Protests Erupt in Belgrade
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Hungary's Prime Minister Criticizes NATO's Role in Ukraine
EU TO HUNGARY: LET THEM PRIDE OR PREP FOR SHADE. ORBÁN TO EU: STAY IN YOUR LANE AND FIX YOUR OWN MESS.
Hungarian Scientist to Conduct 30 Research Experiments on the International Space Station
NATO Members Agree to 5% Defense Spending Target by 2035
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
International Astronaut Team Launched to Space Station
Macron and Merz: Europe must arm itself in an unstable world
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Iran Intensifies Crackdown on Alleged Mossad Operatives After Sabotage Claims
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
Oil Prices Set to Surge After US Strikes Iran
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Telegram Founder: I Will Leave My Fortune to Over 100 of My Children
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
Hungary Ranked Among the World’s Safest Travel Destinations for 2025
G7 Leaders Fail to Reach Consensus on Key Global Issues
FBI and Senate Investigate Allegations of Chinese Plot to Influence the 2020 Election in Biden’s Favor Using Fake U.S. Driver’s Licenses
×