SCOTLAND'S poorest people are facing food shortages similar to Second World War rationing due to soaring prices, a charity has claimed.

Oxfam Scotland said pensioners and those on low incomes are struggling to feed themselves -- with many Scots parents skipping meals to ensure their families are properly fed.

The charity said food prices have been rising at more than twice the rate of the national minimum wage and at nearly twice the rate of the jobseeker’s allowance over the past five years.

A poll of people on below-average incomes, conducted on behalf of the charity, suggests that, as a result, people are buying lower-quality food and changing how and where they shop.

Danny McCafferty, from Clydebank Independent Resource Centre, near Glasgow, which helps unemployed people and those on low incomes, has seen a steady rise in those seeking help.

He said: “We’re seeing a growing number of people using the centre to access support to deal with these issues.

“But one group who are particularly badly affected are pensioners. They’re forced to continually hunt for the best deal on whatever food they want to buy, and they can tell you the price of everything.

“They search between shops for the best deal because they have no other option. Five pence or 10p really counts.

“In some ways they’ve gone full circle. Those who are in their 70s and 80s experienced rationing and shortages after the Second World War and now they’re going through it all again.”

The poll of 117 Scottish adults, in an income bracket below the Government’s “households below average income” measurement, shows one in 20 skip meals to feed their children and three-quarters (76%) have spent more on food in the last year.

One in four said the quality of food they are eating has dropped in the last 12 months, the highest percentage in the UK. While just under one in four (23%) spend £40 a week or less on food.

Former chef, Chris Bell, 43, from Clydebank, says he now survives on a food budget of around £12 per week. He suffered a stroke last year and is now struggling to feed himself.

He said: “I’ve worked as a chef for 26 years, but right now I’ve got to choose between eating microwave dinners or eating some fresh vegetables and freezing.

“After everything else is paid, I’ve only got around £12 a week to spend on food.”

Another centre user, a 48-year-old full-time council worker and mother of two, said: “There are times I can’t afford my shopping bill. When that happens I’ll make sure my son eats before I do.

“In the last fortnight before pay day I would say I skip meals maybe twice a week, just to make sure he has enough. I’ve had to change the way I shop to find cheaper things.”

Oxfam Scotland said the poll “charts the real-life effects of rising food prices in Scotland”.

Judith Robertson, head of Oxfam Scotland, said: “Rising food prices are a global phenomenon and, despite the UK being one of the world’s richest economies, it’s affecting people here too.

“It is a gross injustice poor people in Scotland are finding it increasingly difficult to feed themselves and their families.”

Susan McPhee, head of policy at Citizens Advice Scotland, said: “Many people who come to the CAB are struggling to feed themselves and their family. It’s not just the fact that food is becoming more expensive, it’s also the fact that incomes are falling.

“This ‘double whammy’ means that many families are having to make decisions about how much they can afford to spend on ‘essentials’ like food and fuel.

“The figures in the Oxfam survey are not exaggerated. They are an entirely accurate picture of how Scots are living today.

“We call on ministers to accept this and consider the impact their policies are having on people -- in particular the Welfare Reform Bill, which is taking money away from those who are already struggling on the lowest incomes.”