Food aid queues have lengthened, even though employment has risen to record levels since the waning of the pandemic, the news agency STT reported on Sunday.
According to Reetta Nick, project manager of the Foodaid.fi service, rising prices are causing problems for households with insufficient income to cover expenses.
Last week the Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke) predicted that food prices will rise by about 10 percent this year.
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Foodaid, which is operated by the non-denominational Church Resources Agency, provides information on food assistance events and community meals in each region of Finland, and helps to channel donated food to sites where it is needed.
The Tampere-based ViaDia also reports that its food aid points have seen increased demand. This includes more people with jobs, says managing director Kristian Vilkman. The welfare NGO is affiliated with the Evangelical Free Church of Finland.
At the same time, shops are under pressure to reduce surpluses and losses, which affects the organisation of food aid operations. Ninety percent of food aid in Finland is sourced from retail surplus.
In 2020, Luke estimated that 20 million kilos of food aid is distributed in Finland annually, with some 100-200,000 people needing food assistance. Free food is provided by over 1,000 associations, parishes and other groups.