December is always an expensive time, but this year it's likely to be even tougher.
Food inflation hit 12.4% in November - the highest rate in the food category since records began in 2005 and up from 11.6% in October.
Meat, eggs and dairy became more expensive as production prices increased due to high energy costs which in turn impacted animal feed and transport costs.
If you're worried about how much you're spending in the supermarkets, we've rounded up some of the support you can get to help with food costs.
There are several schemes available, both from the Government and from charities, where people can get free cash and vouchers to help them cover the cost of food.
Healthy Start scheme
The Healthy Start scheme gives prepaid food cards to families and pregnant women on a low income with at least one child under the age of four, to buy milk, fruit, vegetables, instant formula, tinned pulses and some multivitamins.
If eligible, you’ll be sent a Healthy Start card with money on it which can be used for most shops which accept Mastcard including supermarkets, convenience stores, markets and newsagents.
You get £4.25 each week on your Healthy Start card from the tenth week of pregnancy.
You then get £8.50 each week for children from birth to one-year old, and £4.25 each week for children between the age of and four years old.
The money will stay on the card for around 16 weeks.
To be eligible, you will typically need to be on certain benefits such as Universal Credit, Income Support or Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance.
Household Support Fund
The Household Support Fund is money given to councils by the Government to help low-income families across the country.
The most recent round of funding to the scheme gave councils a slice of £421million to hand out.
The Households Support fund can provide supermarket vouchers to those who are eligible with some vouchers worth up to £70 to spend on food and essentials.
Each council is allocating their money differently and the criteria to be eligible will also ary from council to council.
Some require you to be claiming a certain benefit whilst others only need proof you’re income is very low.
Portsmouth Council has provided £70 vouchers to parents whose children are in primary education and qualify for benefits-related free school meals.
Middlesbrough Council has done a similar scheme, handing out £60 vouchers to eligible people.
Food banks
Over the last few years, the number of food banks in the UK has skyrocketed.
In July of this year, the House of Commons library reported there were over 1,400 Trussell Trust food banks in the UK, in addition to at least 1,172 independent ones.
People can find the location of a Trussell Trust food bank on the charity’s website or an independent one through the Independent Food Aid Network.
You may need to be referred to a food bank before you can use its services. Speak to your GP, Citizens Advice or another health professional.
Other charity support
The environmental organisation Hubbub currently hosts a project called Community Fridges.
This is run by community groups in shared spaces such as schools, community centres and shops, their main purpose is saving fresh food from going to waste.
The Community Fridge collects and shares good food that would otherwise go to waste with the food provided usually being surplus from supermarkets, local food businesses, producers, households and gardens.
As well as this, Hubbub’s Community Fridges host all kinds of activities such as cooking workshops, food growing, and clothes swaps.
There are currently over 300 fridges across the UK and counting and Hubbub have partnered with Co-op to fund 500 fridges by the end of 2023.
The FoodCycle charity also offers free, three-course meals each week made from surplus food to anyone in the community and has 55 projects across the UK.
The scheme aims to bring people together and everyone and anyone can access one of its 55 projects across the UK. You can find your closest FoodCycle location on the charity’s website.
Another charity option for those struggling with the cost of food is to become a member of Your Local Pantry, which helps “soften the blow” of high living costs.
Your Local Pantry is subsidised shops where members pay from £3.50 to £7 each week and can choose up to 10 items of fresh fruit and veg and store cupboard staples.
The food once again comes from surplus items at supermarkets, and local suppliers and producers.
According to the charity, there are over 80 pantries set up across the UK and people can find their closest pantry on the charity’s website.
