Bankuet is 7: The Numbers Behind a Year of Giving
Bankuet CEO and Founder Robin Ferris reflects on the stories behind the data of the last year
Bankuet is 7: The Numbers Behind a Year of Giving
Seven years ago, Bankuet was born from a simple observation: food banks weren't getting what they needed, when they needed it. To mark our anniversary, we’re looking at the data that reflects the thousands of lives touched by your generosity. This deep dive is the companion to my personal reflections on the journey, which you can read in [Seven Leadership Lessons from Seven Years of Bankuet].
Seven years of impact
Since July 2019, together with our supporters, food banks, and partners, we have:
- Seen £6,351,705+ donated through the platform to buy exactly what food banks need
- Delivered 6,016,583+ items to food bank shelves
- Provided 4,221,613+ meals
- Fed 200,553+ people for a week
- Supported 300+ food banks across 96 regions of the UK & NI
Behind every one of those numbers is the same simple model: food banks tell us what they need, supporters fund it at the click of a button, and we bulk-buy and deliver it - nothing more, nothing less, nothing wasted.
The context makes those numbers matter more. Trussell reports that food banks in its network distributed 2.6 million emergency food parcels in 2025 - a 45% increase on 2019, with more than 900,000 of those parcels for children. While we have supported 300+ food banks since we began, the following data draws on anonymised requests placed through Bankuet over the last 12 months — a snapshot of what food banks across the UK are asking for right now.
What a year of requests tells us
Because every Bankuet order starts with a food bank telling us exactly what they need, our data is a live picture of what hunger in the UK actually looks like. Over the last twelve months (1st July 2025 to 30th June 2026), we analysed hundreds of food bank requests covering hundreds of thousands of items. Here's what we found.
The hungriest months aren't when you'd think
Requests peaked in July and January - and it's no coincidence. July brings the school summer holidays, when free school meals stop and family budgets stretch to breaking point. January brings the post-Christmas cliff: bills land, donations dry up, but the need doesn't.
December, meanwhile, was our quietest month of the entire year - with a third of January's requests. Food banks are rightly flooded with public generosity at Christmas. But generosity peaks in December, and hunger peaks in January. It's the single best argument we know for giving regularly, all year round.
The Top 10 Most Requested Items
- 🥛 UHT semi-skimmed milk (no change year on year)
- 🍏 Apple juice (no change year on year)
- 🧺 Laundry detergent NEW ENTRY
- 🍝 Pasta sauce NEW ENTRY
- 🧻 Toilet paper
- 🥫 Tomatoes (down from 3rd last year)
- 🥕 Carrots
- 🌽 Sweetcorn
- 🐔 Chicken in white sauce
- 🍑 Peaches
Read that list again and something becomes clear: this isn't emergency rations. It's a family's week. Breakfast, tea, pudding - and the laundry done.
Why milk tops the list, two years running
Milk is the item families run out of first - and the item least likely to end up in a supermarket collection bin. It's heavy, it's bulky, and people tend to donate what's light and lasts. Across every variety - semi-skimmed, skimmed, whole, oat, and powdered - milk was requested in thousands of cases this year, and two-thirds of the food banks that ordered requested UHT semi-skimmed specifically. It's the closest thing to a universal item on our platform - and a perfect example of why asking food banks what they need beats guessing.
Nearly 1 in 5 items requested isn't food at all
Laundry detergent didn't just enter the top ten this year - it went straight in at number 3, as food banks increasingly bulk-buy hygiene essentials for their communities. In total, hygiene and household items - detergent, toilet paper, washing-up liquid, shampoo, deodorant, sanitary products, nappies - made up 18% of everything requested.
Hygiene poverty is real, and it's largely invisible. You can't wash a school uniform with a tin of beans, and clean clothes can be the difference between a child feeling able to go to school and staying home. It's exactly the kind of need that demand-led giving is built to meet.
The humble tinned tomato is Britain's most wanted
Milk tops the chart by volume, but tinned tomatoes were requested by more food banks than any other item, from Dundee to Chichester. Whatever else varies from region to region, everyone needs tomatoes.
The details that tell the human story
- Food banks feed the whole household. A number of food banks ordered pet food this year - because families facing hardship don't stop loving their pets.
- Need grows with children. Nappies were requested in every size, from newborn to size 6, alongside baby food and infant formula.
- Food banks follow the seasons. Sunscreen appeared in requests only as summer approached - a small item, but a telling one.
- The biggest single request of the year? One food bank placed an exceptionally large order just before the summer holidays.
Zero waste, proven in the data
Traditional food drives often generate surplus of things people don't need and shortages of things they do. By listening to the people on the front line, we ensure nothing is wasted. It’s a collective effort of listening and responding that ensures every donation makes a real difference. Seven years on, that's still the whole idea - and the data proves that when we work together, it works.
The next seven years
All told, food banks requested hundreds of thousands of items through Bankuet this year - roughly one item every 40 seconds, chosen by the people who know their communities best and funded by supporters like you.
We'd love nothing more than for organisations like Bankuet to no longer be needed. Until that day, our mission remains the same: getting food banks what they need, when they need it.
Set up a regular donation today: www.bankuet.co.uk/givenow
