Hundreds of thousands of young Scots cutting back on food due to financial squeeze
Over a quarter of those surveyed have borrowed money or sold possessions in order to get by
Nearly one in three young people in Scotland are cutting back on food in order to afford other essentials, according to a leading anti-poverty charity.
Research by Trussell found that some 29 per cent of those aged 16 to 25 - almost 200,000 people - had pared back their food spending in the past three months simply because they don’t have enough money to live on.
Its survey of more than 550 young people across the country also found that more than a quarter (26 per cent) have had to resort to borrowing money or selling some of their belongings in order to get by.
One in eight (13 per cent) had gone with basic toiletries such as toothpaste, shampoo, or sanitary products in order to afford food or pay utility bills.
Newly published figures from the charity’s food banks across Scotland also show that 20,000 emergency food parcels were provided in 2025 to those aged between 17 and 24.
One young user of the Glasgow South East Food Bank, who did not wish to be named, said he had been relying regularly on their local service since being made redundant from an entry role at a tech call centre.
The 21 year-old said he rents a bedsit in the Govanhill area of the city and had to prioritise paying rent and bills over food in order to make ends meet.
“The cost of living means I can’t pay rent and bills and get all the food I need,” he said. “I find it embarrassing and humiliating but if it wasn’t for the food bank I honestly don’t know what I’d do.”
Cara Hilton, senior policy and public affairs manager at Trussell, warned that a generation of young people were at risk of being forced to use food banks without urgent action from the governments at Edinburgh and Westminster.
The charity has called on the Scottish government to bolster employment support and extend the Scottish Child Payment from its current upper age limit of 16 to 19.
“Young adulthood should be about building independence and laying foundations for the future - not wondering how you’re going to put food on the table,” she said. “But as young people grapple with a lack of job opportunities, sky-high rents and gaps in support, this has become the reality for far too many young people today.
Ms Hilton added: “The Scottish government must recommit to ending the need for food banks and work alongside our new prime minister to make this happen– because it’s not right that anyone should have to turn to charity to survive.
“To meet that ambition, in the first programme for government, we must see more investment in employment support and training, the extension of the Scottish Child Payment to age 19 and improved housing support to give every young person today a fair start in life.”
The online survey questioned 558 16 to 25 year-olds across Scotland in June, with the resultant figures being weighted. The charity surveyed a total of more than 4,500 young people across the UK.
Social justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said: “Whilst the cost of living is having an impact on everyone it is particularly acute for young people, especially those in receipt of Universal Credit under the age of 25, who despite facing the same living costs, receive a lower rate. Energy costs and other household costs are also continuing to rise, whilst wages remain stagnant under the current UK economic model.
“The Scottish government is supporting people with the cost of living, including free bus travel for all under-22s, rent controls, free period products and the game-changing Scottish Child Payment. Policy choices such as free prescriptions and no tuition fees also helps with the cost of living.
"Scotland has a higher employment rate for 16 to 24-year-olds than the UK as a whole. Nine out of ten young people in Scotland [95.7%] are in work, training, college or university three months after leaving school - the second highest on record - however we want to see these numbers grow and we are taking action to ensure more people can get, and remain in, well-paid, good jobs.”
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