"A third of Essex teachers are bringing in food for hungry pupils", says food bank charity
Charity, FareShare, is calling on Government to address the "growing crisis" and ensure that children get the nourishment they need to thrive in school.
Three in ten teachers in Essex personally provide food to pupils out of concern for their welfare, a survey has suggested.
More teachers have been forced to bring in food for children in their school than last year - especially in the most deprived areas of England, according to the poll conducted for charity FareShare.
The survey, carried out by the Teacher Tapp app, suggests that 28% of teachers in England personally provided food to at least one pupil in the summer term because they were worried about their welfare.
That's compared to 26% last summer.
FareShare, a charity which tackles hunger and food waste, is calling on the Government to address the "growing crisis" and ensure that children get the nourishment they need to thrive in school.
Ben Ashmore, head of external affairs at FareShare, says: "
"The charities we support across Essex and East Anglia are telling us the demand that they're seeing for food is unprecedented. More families, working families, are coming to them needing help and support."
"This is all the while that 10 billion meals worth of food is going to waste in the UK."
He added: "Our teachers should be focused on educating, not filling the gaps in food provision."
"We're calling for the new Government to work with us and get surplus food that would go to waste, and get it to the local charities across Essex and the UK."
Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union, said: "It is a tragedy that there are so many children sat in classrooms while enduring gnawing hunger.
"The solution to a child being too hungry to learn is to feed them. Rather than leaving this to teachers to fund from their own pockets, the Government must ensure that all children have the nutrition they need to thrive.
"That is why we urge the Government to invest in the next generation with free school meals for all."
A Government spokesperson said: "We understand the pressures households are facing, and that is why we are taking action to deliver our mission of breaking down barriers to opportunity and improving the life chances of every child.
"We will develop an ambitious strategy to reduce child poverty, led by a taskforce co-chaired by the Education Secretary and Work and Pensions Secretary, and looking at how to increase household income, bring down essential costs, and tackle the negative experience of living in poverty."
"This comes alongside plans to roll out free breakfast clubs in every primary school so children start the day ready to learn, and turning the minimum wage into a real living wage to make work pay."