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One in five parents in the UK is struggling to feed their children, according to new research that shows more than 20% of parents have skipped meals, gone without food to feed their children or relied on family members or friends for food in the last 12 months.

The research, carried out by Tesco, the Foodbanks charity the Trussell Trust and food redistribution charity FareShare comes as the three organisations prepare to hold the biggest ever food collection in the UK on the 5 and 6 July.

Anne Bull, chair of LACA has responded to the report by saying: “This research conducted by Tesco which has found that one in five parents are struggling to feed their children acts as further evidence to support the important role which school food plays in a child’s diet, especially for those children currently living in poverty.

“It is alarming, but not surprising, that 70% of families suffering from food poverty, with children in primary school education, rely on food supplied by schools. This statistic only strengthens LACA’s belief that a hot, nutritious school lunch is vital for all children, regardless of the type of school they attend.

“We hope that the publication of the School Food Plan includes a requirement for all schools to adhere to a minimum set of standards to help ensure all children can rely on their school to provide the healthy lunch they need to grow and learn.”

Highlights of the research include:

* 70% of families suffering from food poverty with children in primary school education rely in some part on food supplied by schools, either through free school meals or food given out by breakfast or after school clubs. The upcoming school summer holidays could now see a large number of children going hungry.

* More than a quarter of parents suffering from some form of food poverty said they were unable to provide food for all the meals their children need during the school holidays.

* The problem of food poverty is unlikely to improve in the near future, with only a third of people currently suffering from food poverty expecting their situation to improve in the next twelve months.

Speaking about the research, Rebecca Shelley, group corporate affairs director at Tesco said: "This research reveals that since our last national food collection in December, the problem of food poverty in the UK has increased and shows no signs of improving.

“It's hitting families hard, especially when resources like free school meals, breakfast clubs and after school clubs are not available.”