Almost one in seven households with children are struggling to afford food, new research has revealed
Families are being forced to slash spending on nutritious meals due to tight finances during the cost of living squeeze. New figures reveal almost one in seven households with children are battling to afford enough food.
Those needing to make cutbacks report abandoning fruit and vegetables to save cash. However, the overwhelming majority acknowledged they would stock up on healthier options if prices were more reasonable.
In response to these statistics, the Food Foundation is demanding the government pledge to slash UK food insecurity rates by half in its forthcoming Child Poverty Strategy. The charity is specifically pressing ministers to widen the Healthy Start programme to encompass all families claiming Universal Credit, mirroring recent expansions to free school meal initiatives.
The Healthy Start scheme provides between £4.25 and £8.50 a week that can be used to by fruit, vegetables, milk or vitamins for young children or pregnant women. It’s also campaigning for free school dinners to reach all qualifying children by eliminating obstacles that stop families from signing up to the programme.
The Food Foundation has monitored food insecurity rates since March 2020, showing levels have swung between 7% and 18% of the population facing this hardship.
Shona Goudie, Policy and Advocacy Manager at The Food Foundation said: “Food insecurity in the UK is a political choice, not an inevitability. The government must demonstrate its commitment to tackling this issue by setting clear targets to protect people from food insecurity and building national resilience.
“Over the last 5 years, overall levels of food insecurity have remained persistently high but have fluctuated considerably, demonstrating how rapidly conditions can change –either for the better or worse.
“These fluctuations reflect external events, but also policy measures taken by the government. The government must use its forthcoming Child Poverty Strategy to commit to halve the number of children experiencing food insecurity.”
The charity also emphasised the consequences that being unable to afford food can have on people’s wellbeing, social inequalities and productivity, whilst also putting pressure on the NHS and potentially undermining the economy as a whole.
It noted that children from the most disadvantaged backgrounds are nearly twice as likely to be living with obesity. Those in this income bracket are also more than twice as likely to have suffered tooth decay in their adult teeth by their final year of primary school.
Vic Harper, CEO of The Bread and Butter Thing, which operates affordable food clubs using surplus food said: “This isn’t just a cost-of-living crisis. That implies a short sharp situation. Food insecurity has become chronic for many families.
“We’re now seeing people impacted who traditionally you wouldn’t have thought would be struggling to afford food. It’s people who are working and doing everything society asks of them, but they still can’t make ends meet.
“We see nurses. We see teaching assistants. We see people who we’ve never had seek support before. This is much bigger than a one-off crisis now. We need structural change.”