The Trussell Trust have gone from running one facility in Scotland to 43 in two years as food poverty increases.

Scottish Government

The fivefold increase in the number of Scots using a food bank has been branded "absolutely unacceptable" by the First Minister.

The Trussell Trust said they have gone from running one facility Scotland to 43 in two years as the numbers of people living in food poverty increases.

The figures were released as the First Minister visited the Edinburgh South East food bank on Monday. Alex Salmond met volunteers and helped back boxes for distribution.

The Scottish Government has carried out research into the use of food banks in Scotland. It shows all providers have seen an increase in demand over the past year.

Charities blamed the rise on welfare reform, benefit delays, benefits sanctions and falling incomes..Trussell Trust emergency facilities fed 23,073 people between April and September compared with 5,726 in 2011/12, the overview of food aid provision by the Government's social research unit found.

Over a third (6,608) of their users this year have been children, while Glasgow facilities also saw a considerable number of destitute migrants, mainly failed asylum seekers.

Nearly a fifth (19%) used a food bank because their benefits changed in April following the UK Government welfare reforms, up from a tenth in 2011/12.

Over half (52%) used food banks due to benefit problems in the 2013 period, up from around four in 10 (43%) in 2011/12.

The report states: "Providers who participated in the study were in agreement that welfare reform, benefit delays, benefit sanctions and falling incomes have been the main factors driving the recent trend observed of increased demand for food aid."

It adds: "Soup kitchens in Scotland are used mainly by homeless people who also tend to have long-standing issues, such as substance dependency or poor mental health.

"Food banks are mainly used by people who are housed but who have little or no income.

"Unlike other locations, Glasgow City also has a third category of clients: destitute migrants. This group tends to be homeless or threatened with homelessness and mainly comprises asylum seekers whose application for asylum has been rejected. Destitute migrants use both food banks and soup kitchens."

It comes as Big Lottery Fund Scotland announced they were giving 64 projects across Scotland a share of £.92m funding, many of which provide food bank services.

The Trussell Trust welcomed the research, saying it was important to find out what was causing the increase in food poverty.

Ewan Gurr, Scotland Development Officer, said: "In Scotland, the number of food banks operating as part of The Trussell Trust has grown from one to 43 in little more than two years and we have seen five times the number of people using Scottish food banks than we did this time last year.

"The number of men, women and children living on a financial knife-edge due to a lethal cocktail of rising living costs, welfare reform and minimal employment opportunities is unacceptable and it for these reasons that we welcome any effort to focus on the issue of hidden hunger and seek creative solutions."

Speaking after the visit, Mr Salmond said an additional £9.2m had been added to the Scottish Welfare Fund to provide care and crisis grants.

He said: "The volunteers at our foodbanks and soup kitchens across the country provide an invaluable lifeline to hundreds of people right across the country. At this time of year, in particular, it is absolutely unacceptable that anyone in a country as prosperous as Scotland should have to rely on food banks.

"With the publication of our research, we can now understand more about the extent of emergency food aid in Scotland, and that welfare and benefit changes are a major cause.

"The UK is already one of the most unequal societies in the developed world, and the UK Government’s welfare cuts programme unfairly impacts on some of the most vulnerable members of our society."