The cost-of-living crisis continues to hit families, with the numbers struggling with food poverty on the rise.
A new survey by Barnardos and Aldi found that 29% of parents said they had skipped meals, or reduced portion sizes, so their children would have enough to eat in the past 12 months.
Research also found the number of parents using food banks and relying on food donations has doubled.
One in 10 parents said they had used food banks over the previous 12 months, more than double the number from the previous survey of 4%.
Groceries seen in a shopping cart supermarket trolley. Picture by: Tommy (Louth) / Alamy Stock PhotoAn increasingly large proportion of children are living in homes where parents are relying more and more on vouchers from voluntary organisations or food packages from friends and family in order to provide their children with sufficient food.
One in five parents (19%) said that, at some point over the past 12 months, they did not have enough food to feed their children - up from 15% in January 2022.
One-quarter of parents had to cut down on household bills, such as gas and electricity, in order to afford food costs over the past year.
Food worries
More parents are also worried about their ability to provide their children with sufficient food.
Over one in eight (13%) said they were always worrying about it - up from 6% last January.
A further 29% of parents said they sometimes or occasionally worry about being able to provide their children with sufficient food - significantly higher than the January 2022 figure of 19%.
More than one in seven parents (16%) said that they had been regularly unable to afford a main meal for their family/children with meat/vegetarian equivalent as often as they would like, up from 10% in the previous survey.
Workers are seen at a food bank in May 2013. Picture by: Lucy Piper / Alamy Stock PhotoBarnardos CEO Suzanne Connolly has said the Government must act.
"These findings align with Barnardos experience of working with vulnerable children and families in communities across Ireland," she said.
"We see far too many families, often one parent families, really worried about being able to provide their children with enough food.
"We're calling on the Government to develop and implement a food poverty plan as part of its programme of work under the new Child Poverty and Wellbeing Unit.
"We're also calling on the Government to continue to roll out the Hot School Meals Programme, and to introduce targeting measures to families who need it most - which are lone-parent families and families on fixed and limited income," she added.
