Are YOU over 60 and struggling to pay food bills? Find out where to get help

Food may be the only flexible expenditure that can be cut in a financial crisis, warns Age UK

Almost one in three over-60s have cut back on food shopping, meaning they may be starving to make ends meet, new research reveals.

Food and soft drinks take up a larger proportion of pensioners’ after-tax income and may be the only flexible expenses that can be cut in a financial crisis, according to Age UK.

The charity says malnutrition has long been a problem for many older people, as issues such as isolation, disability and general health problems can affect their appetite or ability to eat or prepare food.

“Usually lack of funds was not the main factor, but unfortunately the picture is changing and now it is clear that poverty is playing a much bigger role in some older people not getting the food they need,” he warns.

Its research over the past few months found that 29 per cent of over-60s in the UK, which equates to 4.2 million people, are buying less food and 39 per cent are worried about being able to afford food.

Around 40 per cent of over-60s who live in a household with an income of less than £20,000 cut back on food.

> What does the government say? Find out below

Age UK says it is particularly concerned about three groups of older people:

– People on low incomes who do not claim the additional financial support they are entitled to

– Others whose savings have gotten them by so far but whose rainy day fund is already depleted

– Sick or disabled pensioners who face higher costs, for example because they have to use their washing machine every day due to incontinence.

It surveyed 1,200 over-60s in August and September and responses were weighted to be representative of that age group across the UK.

Separate research by Age UK revealed the pressure on household budgets as rising food prices outpaced pensioners’ incomes.

It analyzed Office for National Statistics data on the cost of living for 2021-22 and used inflation data since then to calculate what the average pensioner household – made up only of people over 65 – spends on food.

It found that today they spend around £50 a week on food and soft drinks, or 16.4% of their after-tax household income.

This compares to £38 in 2021, or 13.7 per cent of their household income after tax, and is equivalent to £640 more a year than the start of the cost of living crisis.

Age UK also cited recent YouGov research which found that 36 per cent of over-65s in Britain described their financial situation as worse than a year ago, with another 14 per cent saying it was still as bad , as last year.

Age UK is calling on the Government to help older people on low incomes by:

– Extension of cost of living payments beyond spring 2024

– Extending eligibility for these payments to those receiving housing benefit and those eligible for council tax reductions

– Increasing the Household Support Fund to help those who simply miss out on Living Allowance and Pension Credit payments

– Keep their state pension triple lock promise and increase benefits in line with inflation.

Age UK is also concerned that many people who are eligible for Pension Credit, which supplements the incomes of the poorest pensioners, are missing out.

The Government has recently launched its latest campaign urging people to claim Pension Credit. It is also trialling ‘invitation to claim’ letters sent to older people living in households receiving housing benefit in 10 local authorities.

But Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK, said: “It’s a travesty that in the latest year for which official figures are available, 2019-2020, a whopping £2.4bn of Pension Credit and Housing Benefit went unclaimed by older people in the UK.

“In the longer term, there is a compelling case for fundamental reform of these benefits so that older people receive them automatically rather than having to fill out a complicated form.”

“It’s really worrying to find from our research that so many older people are already cutting back on their food shopping before winter even hits and they have to turn on their heating,” adds Abrahams.

“Once it gets colder, their costs are going to go up a lot, so what are they going to do then? We fear the answer is that many will feel they have no choice but to ration their food and other groceries, potentially putting their health at risk.

“To avoid the nightmarish specter of hunger spreading among older people this winter and next spring, the government needs to better target financial support to those who need it most.

“They also need to do more to support those whose incomes put them just above the line and others whose incomes look adequate on paper but whose living costs are particularly high because of their ill health or disability. All these groups need more help.

What does the government say?

“There are 200,000 fewer pensioners in absolute poverty than in 2009/10 and the Government remains committed to protecting pensioners,” a spokesman said.

“That’s why we’ve made the biggest state pension increase in history this year, as well as increasing Pension Credit – worth around £3,500 a year for people on the lowest incomes.

“In addition, the most needy pensioners will get up to £600 this winter to help with essential costs, and we’re capping inflation to make everyone’s money go further.”

The government has taken the following measures to help poorer pensioners:

– State pension and pension credit rose by 10.1 per cent last April

– The Household Support Fund, worth more than £2 billion, helps people with essential costs such as food and energy.

– The receipt of pension credits in the UK is at its highest level since 2010

– The Government has committed to a triple lock on state pensions, which increases payments with the highest inflation, wage growth or 2.5 per cent each year.

The Government will carry out a mandatory annual review of benefits and state pensions in the autumn, using the latest data available.