Around 1.7 million children in the UK are living in households which struggle for food, with kids in the North East most likely to be going hungry.
Analysis of figures from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) found 12% of children - equivalent to 1.7 million - were living in food insecure households between 2019/20 – 2021/22.
Of these, 800,000 children were deemed to be living in households with "very low food security", meaning their family were forced to resort to skipping meals or reduced portion sizes.
The data, obtained by the Liberal Democrats, also found that 800,000 kids lived in households which had used a food bank within the last 12 months.
Some 200,000 children were in households that had relied on a food bank in the last 30 days.
The figures also laid bare the regional divide in food poverty across the country.
In the North East, 18% of children were in food insecure households, meaning almost one in five children in the region are living in a household struggling to afford their food bills.
This compared to 8% of children in the East of England.
Liberal Democrat education spokesperson Munira Wilson said it was a “badge of shame” for the Government that so many children were going hungry.
She demanded urgent action to help families on the brink, including expanding free school meals to all children in poverty.
Ms Wilson told the Mirror: “It’s a badge of shame for this Conservative government that so many children across the country are going hungry.
"This will only have got worse as food prices continue to go through the roof.
“Conservative ministers are heartlessly refusing to step in and help parents with soaring food bills.
"It shows they are totally out of touch and just don’t get how hard things are for families right now.
“We need to see urgent action to bring food prices down and help families on the brink. That must start with expanding free school meals to all children in poverty.”
The Mirror and the National Education Union (NEU) are campaigning to extend free school meals to all primary school children in England.
Campaigners will visit Downing Street this week to hand in a petition calling for the change as pressure mounts on the Government to act.
A Government spokesperson said: "We have helped nearly two million people, including 400,000 children, out of absolute poverty after housing costs since 2010 and have launched a £94 billion cost of living support package worth around £3,300 per household.
“In 2021/22, children living in workless households were around five times more likely to be in absolute poverty after housing costs than those where all adults work.
"This is why we are boosting our childcare offer to help more parents return to work and keep more of their earnings while making an unprecedented increase to the National Living Wage.”
The Department for Education previously said that more than a third of pupils in England get free school meals, compared to one in six in 2010.
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