Foodbanks Abused In Leeds

A Leeds foodbank owner has told Radio Aire he's seeing a number of people abusing the service by taking food and swapping it in local shops in return for alcohol.

"The tinned and the dry products tend to fly out in hours if not minutes," says Chris*.

"And we've noticed these products are being exchanged in certain shops for mainly alcohol, and we've then seen these people intoxicated later on in the day with no food. We've seen it firsthand - businesses in Leeds are just swapping these products and then selling them on themselves in their shops.

"One gentleman claimed he had seven children and took seven crates of food. We allowed him access to it. We felt sorry for him because we understood he had lots of children. And then we saw him walking around on the streets intoxicated. We know that food disappeared within minutes."

Chris* told us the problem is fuelling wider issues such as alcohol addiction and anti-social behaviour, and believes it's led to gang warfare and rivalry in his community.

"You can kind of empathise with why they do it, a lot of them have some really deep, complex problems," says Chris*.

"We know of the ones who are doing it and we know of the businesses that facilitate it. We've questioned some of the businesses and asked if they'll stop doing it. They've just said 'yes' then carry on doing it."

He thinks the businesses involved now have an element of control over the people who bring them food because they know they'll keep coming back for their 'next fix'.

Chris* also warns it's not just happening here in Leeds. He helps run foodbanks across the country and claims it's happening elsewhere.

"I know of people misusing them nationwide through my contacts at my other cafes. It's definitely a national thing. I wouldn't be surprised if there's a lot more people doing this because it's just so easy to do.

It could eventually affect the system. The criteria could get stricter and that could have an impact on people who do genuinely need access to the food."

In a statement, West Yorkshire Trading Standards Manager David Strover told us: “All food businesses need to obtain their stock from legitimate sources and should have systems in place to identify and trace their supplies.

Obtaining stock from unidentifiable sources such as a ‘white van man’ or a moving trader is ill-advised and illegal.”

*We've changed his name to protect his identity