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Welfare reforms 'behind food poverty', warn major charities

Changes to the benefit's system are "a driver of food poverty" with 20 million meals claimed by people at risk of going hungry in Britain last year, a report from three major charities found.

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Government hits out at food poverty report

The Government has rubbished a report which pointed to benefit cuts as fuel for the rise in food poverty.

It's simply not possible to draw conclusions from these unverified figures drawn from disparate sources.

They cover a wide variety of provision including food redistributed to places such as community cafes, lunch clubs for the elderly and children's breakfast clubs which are frequented by all sorts of people.

This report also overlooks basic facts about the strength of our welfare system. We provide a vital safety net, spending £94bn a year on working age benefits to support millions of people who are on low incomes or unemployed.

– A Government Spokesman

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