Belgium Food Aid Crisis: 560,000 Rely on Parcels, Budget Cut

Belgium is facing an unprecedented food aid crisis, with the number of beneficiaries surging to approximately 560,000 people — a 251% increase over the past three decades, according to a new study by the Fédération des Services Sociaux (FdSS). Recipients describe food parcels as vital for survival as deepening poverty and a controversial unemployment reform drive demand to historic levels.

Context

The number of food aid beneficiaries has nearly doubled in the last decade alone, while Belgium’s population grew only 16% over 30 years, according to RTBF. The surge follows a cascade of shocks: the COVID-19 pandemic, post-pandemic inflation, soaring energy costs after the Ukraine war, and rising rents. Statbel data shows 12.3% of the population — approximately 1.44 million people — lived below the poverty threshold in 2023.

Key Developments

Food aid organizations are now at a breaking point. The Croix-Rouge de Belgique recorded a 30% increase in beneficiaries for 2026, particularly since March, with the province of Liège especially affected. The organization has been forced to reduce parcel contents from 10 to 8 meals, with less protein than before. “They contain 8 meals instead of 10, with less protein than before,” Stéphanie Miraglia, head of food aid at Croix-Rouge de Belgique, told RTBF.

Meanwhile, the federal budget for food aid has been slashed from €27 million in 2025 to €15.5 million in 2026. The exceptional supplementary €23 million allocated in 2023 and 2024 was not renewed. The Restos du Cœur de Belgique warned in October 2025 that the cuts represent a “historic setback,” projecting a new deficit of €200,000 for 2025 after limiting losses to €50,000 in 2024.

“After a record year in 2025, 2026 is shaping up to be very difficult, a dark year, due to the reduction in our public financial resources combined with an expected increase in the number of people benefiting from our services,” Marc Mertens, Managing Director of the Belgian Federation of Food Banks (FBBA), told La Libre in February 2026.

A new unemployment reform taking effect on January 1, 2026, is compounding the crisis. Between January and July 2026, approximately 194,000 job seekers are expected to be excluded from unemployment benefits, losing hundreds of euros per month. Many are now turning to food aid. “Since 2020, precarity has only increased,” Sohade El Fahidi, head of the Restos du Cœur Laeken distribution center, told RTBF. “Some families haven’t had time to bounce back. First there was Covid, then inflation, energy costs, purchasing power, and now the government’s decisions on unemployment.”

Regional disparities are stark. Food aid beneficiaries per 1,000 inhabitants stand at 35 in Flanders, 64 in Wallonia, and 73 in Brussels, reflecting broader socio-economic divides. Rural areas face particular challenges with “hidden poverty” and social isolation.

Analysis

The crisis reveals a structural deficit in Belgium’s social safety net. The FdSS study, which compiled data from approximately 1,000 food aid organizations, notes that “the need is stagnating at its highest historical level,” according to study author Antoine Habay. The actual number of beneficiaries is likely higher, as small organizations lack proper counting tools.

Minister of Social Integration Anneleen Van Bossuyt (N-VA) has argued that food aid is primarily a responsibility of the federated entities, not the federal government. “In the current budgetary context, we cannot continue to compensate for a competence that primarily falls under the communities,” her office told RTBF. However, field organizations describe the cuts as catastrophic, warning they may have to reduce distribution days, limit services, or refuse new beneficiaries.

Food donations are also declining, partly due to competition from anti-waste apps like TooGoodToGo. The Restos du Cœur noted in an October 2025 statement that “working today is no longer always enough to live with dignity,” highlighting the growing phenomenon of the working poor.

What’s Next

The coming months will be critical. The exclusion of 194,000 job seekers from unemployment benefits will likely drive thousands more to food aid, potentially overwhelming an already strained system. Whether Belgium’s federated entities will increase their own funding to compensate for federal cuts remains an open question. Without intervention, food aid organizations face the prospect of reduced services at a time when need has never been greater.

As Oleksandr, a 22-year-old Ukrainian who arrived in Belgium in December 2025, told RTBF: “It’s hard to buy food right now. Here, it’s much cheaper than in the stores, so these parcels are vital for my family.”