THE number of people using foodbanks in Wales has risen to more than 85,000.

Figures released by The Trussell Trust today show that 85,875 people in Wales used foodbanks between April 1, 2014 and March 31, 2015.

There were 55,739 adults in Wales who received food parcels and 30,136 children.

The number of people using foodbanks has reached a record one million in the UK with almost 400,000 children among those receiving at least three days' of supplies from the charity's 445 foodbanks across the UK in the past year.

The figure doesn't tell the true picture of the crisis, as many small charities and churches also run foodbanks or schemes for handing out food to families in need.

The Trussell Trust, which launched its first foodbank in Salisbury in 2000, said 1,084,604 people received supplies in the last financial year, an increase of 19% over the previous 12 months.

Problems with benefits were the main reason people visited foodbanks, but the Trust said there had been an increase in those on low incomes.

Foodbank managers reported dealing with people struggling with insecure work, low pay and high living costs.

Trussell Trust UK foodbank director Adrian Curtis said: " Despite welcome signs of economic recovery, hunger continues to affect significant numbers of men, women and children in the UK today.

"It's difficult to be sure of the full extent of the problem as Trussell Trust figures don't include people who are helped by other food charities or those who feel too ashamed to seek help.

"Trussell Trust foodbanks are increasingly hosting additional services like debt counselling and welfare advice at our foodbanks, which is helping more people out of crisis. The Trussell Trust's latest figures highlight how vital it is that we all work to prevent and relieve hunger in the UK."

A qualified teacher and mother of two who uses foodbanks, said: "I have an 18-month-old son and an eight-year-old stepson, I work part time as a teacher and my husband has an insecure agency contract.

"There are times when he doesn't get enough hours of work, and we really struggle to afford food and pay the bills. The foodbank meant we could put food on the table."

Dr John Middleton, vice president of the Faculty of Public Health said: "The rising number of families and individuals who cannot afford to buy sufficient food is a public health issue that we must not ignore.

"For many people, it is not a question of eating well and eating healthily, it is a question of not being able to afford to eat at all. UK poverty is already creating massive health issues for people today, and if we do not tackle the root causes of food poverty now we will see it affecting future generations too.

Last year the public donated 10,280 tonnes of food to foodbanks.

Rachael Orr, Oxfam head of UK poverty, said: "It's extremely worrying to see yet another rise in the number of people being forced to visit foodbanks in the UK.

"Whilst these figures reveal that over a million people are using Trussell Trust foodbanks, we know there are many more out there who are using independent ones, not to mention the people who don't go to foodbanks and are literally going without enough food.

"Whoever forms the next government can't ignore the fact that people in the seventh richest country in world are going hungry every day."