SOME food banks are starting to run out of basics and are rationing out parcels amid stockpiling and a fall in donations during the coronavirus outbreak.

Several food banks in the Independent Food Aid Network (IFAN) are struggling to purchase cupboard staples such as long-life milk, cereal and pasta.

Others have seen a fall in donations and are anticipating this to continue as the Covid-19 outbreak progresses, said Sabine Goodwin, the network's coordinator.

She said some of its members have started rationing their food parcel contents in order to compensate for a future lack of donations.

The IFAN has 232 members, including 189 food banks across the UK.

Recent stockpiling and hoarding by some members of the public "demonstrates a real lack of awareness as to how many millions of people are living with food insecurity in the UK", she said.

Ms Goodwin said: "Emergency food aid providers cannot keep picking up the pieces and supporting more and more people let down by a broken benefits system and insufficient wages.

"The need for charitable food aid is already increasing regardless of the spread of Coronavirus.

"Over 830 independent food banks in the UK usually operate fragile systems dependent on goodwill and generosity both in terms of food supply and staffing. If donations dwindle or if volunteers are unwell, food banks may be unable to help adults and children going hungry.

"The Government needs to take responsibility for the worsening poverty its policies are driving.

"The spread of Coronavirus can only deepen Britain's food insecurity crisis and it's the millions of people living on low or no incomes who will inevitably suffer the most."

Rajesh Makwana, director at the Sufra food bank in Stonebridge, north-west London, said it may have to shift to a delivery model to prevent infection spread if the Covid-19 outbreak deteriorates.

The food bank, which provides people with the equivalent of 9,500 food parcels a year, has seen a "massive increase" in demand this year.

The team are "fast running out" of basics such as toilet roll, pasta and long-life milk as they are experiencing difficulties in "purchasing the food we need in the quantities we require".

They are reducing the food parcels they distribute by about a third in an attempt to ration out remaining supplies for as long as possible.

He said: "All the indications are that this will be a prolonged crisis, over at least a period of weeks/months so we need to make sure we can support people through that.

"We are desperately trying to source food and toiletries, but in the meantime the only way we can guarantee that people can have access to the essentials they need is by rationing what we provide.

"So we are reducing our food parcels by about a third at least in order to make sure that we've got enough to see us through this crisis."

In Taunton, a visit to Tesco in Castle Street at around 9pm on Wednesday evening saw shelves including pasta and toilet roll almost empty of goods.

Cereals, tea bags and baked beans were also in shorter supply than usual.

Kez Dancy visited Asda in Highbridge at 4pm on Wednesday and said shelves including handwash, toilet rolls, hand sanitiser and antibacterial spray almost empty. 

She said: "It was strangely quiet. I think everyone has stocked up and is staying home."

Meanwhile, the UK tissue industry assured consumers there is no need to panic buy or stockpile toilet paper as the market continues to operate normally.

A joint statement by the Confederation of Paper Industries (CPI) and the Paper Industry Technical Association (PITA) said: "Coronavirus has no impact (or likely impact) on the actual demand for toilet tissue and it follows there is no need to panic buy or stockpile.

"Manufacturing and distribution continue to operate normally, and retail stocks are being replenished."