[Children Eating 'Two Meals or Less a Day' Triple on Holidays] Ongoing Inflation: Survey on the Reality of Families Being Deprived of 'Food' via Single-Parent Households Using Food Banks
A survey by Good Neighbors Japan reveals that the number of children in low-income single-parent households eating two or fewer meals a day triples on holidays. Inflation forces parents to skip meals to feed their kids.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 14, 2026 at 19:38
- 🔍 Collected: April 14, 2026 at 11:01
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 19, 2026 at 17:45 (126h 43m after Collected)
A survey conducted by the certified NPO Good Neighbors Japan (Headquarters: Ota-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Satoshi Koizumi) targeting low-income single-parent households using the organization's food bank 'Good Gohan' revealed that the number of children eating two or fewer meals a day triples on holidays when there are no school lunches. Furthermore, the impact of prolonged price hikes has reached family dining tables, spreading a situation where parents cut back on their own meals to prioritize their children.
This article details the reality of households forced to make 'food sacrifices' along with the voices of those affected.
[Key Survey Results]
- On holidays without school lunches, the number of children eating two or fewer meals a day increases to three times that of weekdays.
- Under the influence of rising prices, the most common response is 'Parents reducing the amount or frequency of their own meals' (multiple answers).
- Wages not increasing, low income. About 40% have living expenses of 'less than 30,000 yen per month' after fixed expenses.
[Survey Overview]
'Survey on Income and Living Conditions of Single-Parent Households'
- Implementation period: February 18 to March 3, 2026
- Target audience: Users of Good Neighbors Japan's food bank project 'Good Gohan' *Users are generally limited to those holding a medical expense recipient certificate for single-parent households, etc. (A medical certificate for a medical expense subsidy system issued to single-parent households raising children under 18, whose income is below the limit, and who are not receiving welfare)
- Response method: Input via survey response form (online)
- Number of valid respondents: 1,818
- Respondent attributes:
- Gender: Female 1,740 (95.7%) | Male 43 (2.4%) (No answer on gender: 35)
- Age: Teens 1 (0.001%) | 20s 44 (2.4%) | 30s 376 (20.7%) | 40s 902 (49.6%) | 50s 463 (25.5%) | 60s and over 25 (1.4%) (No answer on age: 7)
- Region of residence: Metropolitan area (mainly Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama, Chiba) 795 (43.8%) | Kinki area (mainly Osaka, Kyoto, Hyogo, Nara) 626 (34.4%) | Kyushu area (mainly Saga, Fukuoka) 397 (21.8%)
Detailed Survey Results
Decrease in children's meals on holidays without school lunches
When respondents with children who usually use school lunches were asked about their 'child's daily meal frequency,' it was revealed that the percentage of children eating two or fewer meals a day on holidays without school lunches triples compared to weekdays.
Children's standard daily meal frequency
The most common reason for the decrease in children's meal frequency on holidays is 'Lack of financial leeway making it difficult to prepare adequate meals at home.'
Among the respondents, it was indicated that holidays particularly reflect the household's economic situation directly onto the dining table, resulting in a severe eating environment for children in low-income households.
Reasons for the decrease in children's daily meal frequency on holidays
In addition, recent high prices have made it even more difficult to prepare adequate meals. In free-text responses, the following voices were raised:
- 'Everything is expensive, and I am struggling. If I try to provide the nutrition my child's body needs, my salary alone is not enough at all. They increasingly say they want to eat more, which breaks my heart. I myself try to save by hardly eating staple foods.'
- 'Protein-rich meats and seafood are too expensive, so I cannot feed my growing children enough.'
- 'Due to high prices, the amount and frequency of meals have decreased. The amount they eat is small for their age, and I worry they are lacking nutrition.'
- 'I want to feed them nutritious food, but partly due to high prices, I cannot feed them the intake needed for their growth period. I am also reducing my meal frequency, so I easily get tired. If we do not build a physical foundation while they are children, it will be hard when they grow up, so I want to feed them more nutritious meals.'
Parents skipping their own meals
When investigating the parents' own meal situations, it was found that approximately 50% of the respondents live on two or fewer meals a day.
Parents' standard daily meal frequency
Furthermore, when asked about the frequency with which parents reduce the amount or number of their own meals for economic reasons, among those who sometimes reduce their meals, 'almost every day' was the most common response.
This article details the reality of households forced to make 'food sacrifices' along with the voices of those affected.
[Key Survey Results]
- On holidays without school lunches, the number of children eating two or fewer meals a day increases to three times that of weekdays.
- Under the influence of rising prices, the most common response is 'Parents reducing the amount or frequency of their own meals' (multiple answers).
- Wages not increasing, low income. About 40% have living expenses of 'less than 30,000 yen per month' after fixed expenses.
[Survey Overview]
'Survey on Income and Living Conditions of Single-Parent Households'
- Implementation period: February 18 to March 3, 2026
- Target audience: Users of Good Neighbors Japan's food bank project 'Good Gohan' *Users are generally limited to those holding a medical expense recipient certificate for single-parent households, etc. (A medical certificate for a medical expense subsidy system issued to single-parent households raising children under 18, whose income is below the limit, and who are not receiving welfare)
- Response method: Input via survey response form (online)
- Number of valid respondents: 1,818
- Respondent attributes:
- Gender: Female 1,740 (95.7%) | Male 43 (2.4%) (No answer on gender: 35)
- Age: Teens 1 (0.001%) | 20s 44 (2.4%) | 30s 376 (20.7%) | 40s 902 (49.6%) | 50s 463 (25.5%) | 60s and over 25 (1.4%) (No answer on age: 7)
- Region of residence: Metropolitan area (mainly Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama, Chiba) 795 (43.8%) | Kinki area (mainly Osaka, Kyoto, Hyogo, Nara) 626 (34.4%) | Kyushu area (mainly Saga, Fukuoka) 397 (21.8%)
Detailed Survey Results
Decrease in children's meals on holidays without school lunches
When respondents with children who usually use school lunches were asked about their 'child's daily meal frequency,' it was revealed that the percentage of children eating two or fewer meals a day on holidays without school lunches triples compared to weekdays.
Children's standard daily meal frequency
The most common reason for the decrease in children's meal frequency on holidays is 'Lack of financial leeway making it difficult to prepare adequate meals at home.'
Among the respondents, it was indicated that holidays particularly reflect the household's economic situation directly onto the dining table, resulting in a severe eating environment for children in low-income households.
Reasons for the decrease in children's daily meal frequency on holidays
In addition, recent high prices have made it even more difficult to prepare adequate meals. In free-text responses, the following voices were raised:
- 'Everything is expensive, and I am struggling. If I try to provide the nutrition my child's body needs, my salary alone is not enough at all. They increasingly say they want to eat more, which breaks my heart. I myself try to save by hardly eating staple foods.'
- 'Protein-rich meats and seafood are too expensive, so I cannot feed my growing children enough.'
- 'Due to high prices, the amount and frequency of meals have decreased. The amount they eat is small for their age, and I worry they are lacking nutrition.'
- 'I want to feed them nutritious food, but partly due to high prices, I cannot feed them the intake needed for their growth period. I am also reducing my meal frequency, so I easily get tired. If we do not build a physical foundation while they are children, it will be hard when they grow up, so I want to feed them more nutritious meals.'
Parents skipping their own meals
When investigating the parents' own meal situations, it was found that approximately 50% of the respondents live on two or fewer meals a day.
Parents' standard daily meal frequency
Furthermore, when asked about the frequency with which parents reduce the amount or number of their own meals for economic reasons, among those who sometimes reduce their meals, 'almost every day' was the most common response.