Charities call for urgent action to ensure no-one goes without essential supplies.
Charities are calling on the Scottish Government and supermarkets to take urgent action to ensure that vulnerable customers are able to access essential food supplies.
Action on Hearing Loss Scotland, Age Scotland, Carers Scotland, Guide Dogs Scotland, RNIB Scotland, Royal Blind and Scottish War Blinded, and Which? have come together to highlight the ongoing challenges faced by those who are elderly, vulnerable or disabled during the coronavirus crisis.
Research by the charities has found that two and a half months into the Covid-19 pandemic, tens of thousands of customers across Scotland are still reliant on food parcels as they cannot access supermarkets in person or online.
A recent Age Scotland survey of older people found 32% of respondents struggled to get food from a supermarket and 39% faced difficulties getting an online delivery.
One in five respondents to an RNIB survey said they have had to ration food during the current lockdown and a survey by Carers UK and Carers Scotland found 64% of carers had problems accessing basic necessities.
In a letter to the First Minister, the charities outlined four areas they say must be urgently addressed to ensure everyone has access to food during the pandemic.
Recommendations include supermarkets and the government working together to ensure all vulnerable customers can get their shopping without having to rely on the internet, and supermarkets to build on the steps they have already taken to better meet the needs of older and disabled people.
The letter also calls for the Scottish Government to work with charities to identify those in need and ensure they are prioritised for home deliveries or support in getting supplies, and for better coordination on a local level so that all options for providing food deliveries – from supermarkets to local shops and volunteers – are fully exploited.
Brian Sloan, chief executive of Age Scotland, said: "It is extremely concerning that two and a half months since the start of the Covid pandemic there are still tens of thousands of older and vulnerable people who are surviving on food parcels.
“There are half a million over 60s in Scotland who don’t use the internet. They can’t book online delivery slots. Our recent survey of older people’s experience of the Covid pandemic showed that 32% of respondents had difficulties getting food from a supermarket.
“While we recognise the work done by the supermarkets at the start of this crisis to help customers, the system is still far from perfect. It is vital that improvements are made. Too many older people are still struggling but we have faith that the Scottish Government and the retailers can fix this.”
Kirin Saeed from Edinburgh, who is registered blind, has experienced first-hand the difficulties in getting essential food during the lockdown.
She said: "I've found myself limiting the food I eat as I'm never that sure when my next food delivery will be. I have a paid carer who lives some distance away and I'm conscious I don't want to burden her with too much shopping. Also, as I'm in the black and minority ethnic group and possibly more vulnerable to the coronavirus virus, I need to limit contact with others.
"If I went to a shop myself social distancing would be a massive problem. Touching things to ascertain what they are would be, too. Blind people live in a world where touching things is important - but how long does the virus stay on things we touch?
"I don't think this situation is going to change anytime soon. The hope I have is that shops and supermarkets agree a standardised policy for customers with sight loss, so that we know how to safely get around shops and so do staff. That would be the best way forward for everybody."
