BERLIN

Food banks in Germany said they serve "more people than ever before" and that they are struggling to keep up with the rising demand.

Jochen Bruhl, the chairman of the Federal Association of food banks in Germany, told the newspapers of the Media Group Bavaria on Friday that on average, 50% more people came to the free food distribution last year nationwide.

"The food banks currently support about 2 million people, more than ever before in our 30-year history," Bruhl said. He added that the helpers are "mentally and physically at their limit."

Bruhl called for a new policy for people affected by poverty. "It is not a solution that everyone comes to the food banks," he said. According to Bruhl, the food banks "cannot absorb what the state cannot."

He called for people living in poverty to be supported quickly, directly and in a crisis-proof manner.

"In Germany, the proportion of poor people has increased significantly in the last decade," according to the 2022 report by the German Economic and Social Science Institute.

"Poor people have to do without everyday goods, for example, they live in smaller living spaces or have poorer health," the researchers wrote.

According to the institute, one of the consequences of this is that the poor have significantly less trust in the actions of political actors.