Thousands of people in Brighton and Hove do not have access to food that is healthy or culturally appropriate.

Some 24,617, or nine per cent, of city residents were found to be suffering from what is known as food insecurity.

The latest Office for Health, Improvement and Disparities figures prompted calls for government action.

Andrew Forsey, national director of Feeding Britain, said Prime Minister Rishi Sunak must publish a strategy to ensure people can afford and access healthy food.

He said that food clubs in Feeding Britain's network "have never seen so many people", including working families, seeking help with food.

The Trussell Trust revealed more people in UK used food banks in the six months to September than ever before, with some 1.3 million food parcels handed out, an increase of one third on the same period the previous year.

Of these, 4,262 were given out in Brighton and Hove, down from 5,093 in the six months to September 2021.

READ MORE: Cost of Living crisis drives UK Foodbanks to 'breaking point'

Rachel Bull, head of policy and for the charity, said: "Food insecurity is a deeply concerning issue that spans the whole of the UK.

“We live in one of the wealthiest countries in the world and yet what these statistics show is that hundreds of thousands of people in the UK are going without the essentials we all need to get by.

"We are urging the UK government to create an 'Essentials Guarantee' by changing the law to make sure the standard rate of Universal Credit always, at a minimum, provides enough to the cover cost of essentials such as food, utilities, and vital household goods."

A spokesman for the government said it recognises the pressures of the cost-of-living crisis and is "committed to eradicating poverty".

“We have uprated benefits by 10.1 per cent, as well as making an unprecedented increase to the National Living Wage this month,” he said.

“This is on top of changes already made to Universal Credit, which mean claimants can keep more of their hard-earned money.

"We are also providing record levels of direct financial support for the most vulnerable – £1,200 last year and a further £1,350 in 2023-24 – while the Household Support Fund is helping people with essential costs."