Why a no-deal Brexit could be calamitous for food banks

For households already living through a crisis in food security, no-deal Brexit could be a perfect storm of disaster.

TO GO WITH AFP STORY BY JOE SINCLAIR A volunteer selects food for a visitor's order at a foodbank charity in west London on December 23, 2014. Food bank use in Britain is growing rapidly and Christmas has been a particularly busy time for centres like the one run by a Christian charity in the mostly affluent London neighbourhood of Fulham. Even as the British economy recovers from recession, many Britons are struggling to get by on low pay and reduced welfare, stirring a social unease that will be a key issue in the general election in May. AFP PHOTO / BEN STANSALL (Photo credit should read BEN STANSALL/AFP/Getty Images)

Bad news seems to be accumulating at a record pace. Thanks to the frequent and stark warnings about the consequences of a no-deal Brexit, so are stockpiles of food.

Britons have already spent billions amassing private stores of provisions, while big supermarkets like Tesco and Marks and Spencer’s have been filling their warehouses with non-perishables since just after the Christmas rush.