In Britain, one of the world’s richest countries, growing numbers of workers are struggling to feed their children amid a devastating cost-of-living crisis. Prices for groceries and energy have hit record highs, and austerity measures from Conservative-led governments have eaten away at benefits paid to many low-income families, including working households, Times reports.
In response to the crisis, the BBC has published dozens of online recipes costing less than a pound, or about $1.23, per portion. Some schools have turned down their heaters. And many communities have opened “warm spaces” — heated public rooms for people with cold homes.
Employment growth has left Britain with fewer out-of-work households, but many of those who found employment were still vulnerable when inflation hit a 41-year high a few months ago and wages failed to keep up. The incomes of low earners have grown more slowly in Britain than in other Western countries, including Germany and France.
By the numbers: In October, consumer prices surged 11.1 percent from a year earlier. In December, consumer prices were still up more than 10 percent compared with a year earlier.
First person: Aislinn Corey, a preschool teacher in London, has turned giving her two sons an orange or an apple into a game, slicing it into thirds and pretending they are picnicking. “We do it as an activity,” she said. “So they don’t know that mummy is struggling.” She sometimes skips a meal so there is more food for her children.
