Independent: rising prices are forcing Britons to eat pet food
The Independent newspaper says that the rising cost of food is forcing Britons to buy pet food and heat food by candlelight.
Amid rising bills, families are being forced to make difficult choices between heating and food, with the result, it is claimed, “some are forced to go to extremes”.
“I’m still shocked to see some people finishing their pet food and others heating food by candlelight or on the radiator,” said Cardiff-based food programme manager Mark Steed.
He said these stories are “staggering to the core”.
“We know about it from reliable sources. People have been telling us about it in tears – it shouldn’t be like this,” the community worker lamented.
Steed, who has been involved in community work for 20 years, said Cardiff was “generally” a thriving city, but there were also “unacceptable pockets of deprivation”. “People are underpaid and can’t afford the essentials. Prices are going up because of inflation, so people have to save money or simply give something up. They say they give all their free time to earning money,” he summarised.
As the Independent notes, price rises in the UK have been the highest in four decades, while wages have remained flat, with the average Briton’s purchasing power expected to fall by 6.2% over the next two years.
” Increasing numbers of civil servants (particularly teachers and health workers) are turning to food schemes to make ends meet. There has also been an increase in strikes among education, NHS and railway workers demanding higher wages,” the article says.
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