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BORROWING MONEY FOR FOOD

One in five UK households borrowed money or used savings to cover food costs in April, indicating that many families were stretched to their financial breaking point. According to a survey, an equivalent of five million households used credit cards, overdrafts or savings to buy food. The consumer group 'Which?' that conducted a monthly insight tracker survey focused on spending and behaviour of 2,000 people for its poll.
Which? executive director Richard Lloyd described the findings as "simply shocking".
The figures come despite official statistics last week showing that personal insolvencies have dropped to their lowest levels in five years, the BBC reported. Of the households covered by the Which? survey, 43 per cent were headed by people between 30 and 50, and just under half had incomes under 21,000 pounds. The research found that 55 per cent of those using credit to do weekly shopping planned to cut back on food in the coming months, with almost a third saying they had to borrow from friends or family in order to make ends meet.
The study also found that one quarter of people said that they were living comfortably on their incomes and that more than one third - 36 per cent - felt their finances were under pressure.
Almost one third - 31 per cent - of those surveyed cut back spending on essentials last month, and they were most likely to be women aged between 30 and 49. Lloyd said: "Our tracker shows that many households are stretched to their financial breaking point, with rising food prices one of the top worries for squeezed consumers. "It's simply shocking that so many people need to use savings or credit to pay for essentials like food."

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