Emergency food supplies handed out through The Trussell Trust's foodbank network increased by 13 per cent between the year ending March 2018 and the previous 12 months.
This is double the increase over the previous year, when foodbank use was up 6.6 per cent.
Of the 1,332,952 parcels distributed between April 2017 and March 2018, 484,026 went directly to children.
The charity said families with children living, who rely on benefits, and disabled people are particularly at risk of needing assistance, largely due to delays in Universal Credit payments.
Benefit delays were cited as a main reason in 24 per cent of foodbank referrals and changes to the benefits system mentioned as a key factor in 18 per cent of cases.
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