Hunger and hardship are costing Scotland an eye-watering £5.6 billion a year, new research has revealed.
The Trussell Trust has published a hard-hitting report showing the deep and lasting damage caused by hunger, with more than half a million Scots caught in the grip of poverty.
According to the charity, 670,000 people across Scotland are currently experiencing hunger and hardship, including 170,000 children.
The economic impact is staggering, with the knock-on effects felt across healthcare, education, housing, productivity and employment.
In the space of a single year, hunger cost NHS Scotland £450 million due to poorer health outcomes and higher demand on services.
The report also found that £1.4 billion in tax revenue was lost due to lower employment rates and reduced earnings.
A further £2 billion was lost to the economy due to lower workforce participation and productivity.
The research shows that the root cause of this crisis is low incomes, particularly for those relying on an underpowered social security system.
The Trussell Trust says the most effective solution is to strengthen financial support through benefits and end policies that trap families in poverty.
Among the report’s key recommendations is scrapping the controversial two-child benefit cap.
Maree Todd, MSP for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross, described the findings as “stark and deeply concerning”.
She said the figures underline how hunger is not just a personal struggle but a national crisis draining public finances and human potential.
Ms Todd criticised the UK Government’s approach to welfare, saying it has continued the austerity agenda started in 2010.
She warned that recent cuts and reforms would “devastate” disabled people and households on the lowest incomes.
Calling on the Labour Government to change direction, she urged ministers to act on the evidence and invest in support for the most vulnerable.
Ms Todd also praised the Scottish Government’s commitment to develop systems that would remove the two-child cap in Scotland by 2026.
She said while Holyrood was doing what it could to tackle poverty, real change depended on Westminster handing over the powers and funding needed for lasting progress.
The report has reignited debate over the UK’s social safety net and what role devolved governments can play in building a fairer system.
With the costs of inaction now laid bare, campaigners say the time for tinkering is over.
