More than two in five Irish parents say they have cut back on their own meals to ensure there is enough food to feed their children.

That is the new finding from the annual Barnardos and Aldi Food Insecurity Research report which was released this morning.

Twenty-five percent of families say the cost of living crisis means they have reduced spending on medical costs - just so they can afford food.

Barnardos CEO Suzanne Connolly says these kinds of things shouldn't be happening in a first world country. 

“I think what families really struggle with is they have a range of bills also which have not reduced - like heat and also things like rent,” she said. 

“Food is essential; so, what families have done is, if they’ve had to, they will cut back on eating themselves in order to feed their children.” 

Just under a quarter, 24%, of parents say they have borrowed money in order to feed their families - an increase of 8% since the survey was carried out a year ago. 

In addition, 12% said they had used a food bank - up 2% in a year. 

“Through the social welfare system, there needs to be a way in which families, if in need, can actually access at a short notice food vouchers - if that’s what their particular need at the time is,” Ms Connolly said. 

“Families shouldn’t need to be accessing those types of responses; they should have a sufficient income that they don’t need to be looking for supports such as that.” 

Price rises are expected to slow this year, with the Central Bank predicting inflation will fall to 2.9% this year.

Main image: Mother and child shopping. Picture by: Kathy Dewitt.