By STEWART PATERSON

Political Correspondent

TACKLING the root causes of poverty and maximising income can end the need for foodbanks and stop people relying on charity for food according to campaigners.

A Menu for Change set up by Oxfam, Poverty Alliance and Child Poverty Action Group wants to ensure people have the income they need to afford food.

In Glasgow four Trussell Trust foodbanks alone handed out 23,500 three day food parcels last year.

More foodbanks have opened in the city and the numbers of people referred for help has increased year on year.

As part of Challenge Poverty Week the Poverty Alliance and its partners are focusing on food poverty.

A Menu for Change is working with organisations to tackle the underlying reasons for people forced to rely on foodbanks.

The campaign will aim to make it easier for people to get all the cash payments they are entitled to and receive access to advice to help avoid a crisis in the future.

Peter Kelly, Director of Poverty Alliance said: “Ten years ago, no-one could have predicted the rise in the amount of people relying on foodbanks today to feed themselves and their families.

“Our social security system is failing to be the safety net it was designed to be, instead of helping lift people out of poverty low benefit levels are trapping people in it.

“With new powers on the way to the Scottish Parliament, it is time that consider how we can do things differently and ensure that everyone is able to fulfil their potential.”

Oxfam more associated with hunger and famine in developing countries has been working on emergency food aid with the Trussell Trust in the UK since 2012.

Anela Anwar from Oxfam is project manager for Menu for Change.

She said: “It’s a scandal that the shops in Scotland are stuffed full with food but at the same time many Scots’ stomachs are empty because they simply can’t afford to buy basic necessities.

“A Menu For Change is working towards a future without food banks, where even at a time of crisis everyone has the money they need to feed themselves and their families.”

A Menu for Change highlights the fact that people in the UK are going without food.

A United Nations report shows that growing number number of people in the UK are at risk of going hungry and food insecurity levels in the UK are among the highest in Europe.

The report states the UK is second only to Albania for food insecurity and higher than many parts of Asia and South America.

Food poverty was raised at the Poverty alliance annual conference in Glasgow.

Mathew Bolton deputy Director of Citizens UK, a nationwide group which has campaigned on the Living Wage said foodbanks can be a force for change.

He said his organisation rose from people volunteering and attending soup kitchens becoming organised.

He said: “There can be a users and volunteers uprising.”