Following an inquiry into child food insecurity, Labour’s Public Health Minister visits Portsmouth to hear concerns from the community about child poverty, holiday hunger and school meal provision
An estimated one in three – or 4.1 million – children live in poverty in the UK, with an estimated 2.5 million living in “food insecure” households.
Last week young people joined Children’s Future Food Inquiry ambassador Dame Emma Thompson and Sharon Hodgson MP, Shadow Public Health Minister at a Westminster launch of an inquiry’s final report, which calls for urgent political action on child food insecurity.
Following the launch, the Shadow Minister visited Portsmouth at the invitation of city MP Stephen Morgan to share the findings and hear the views of local people and community groups.
At an event held in Paulsgrove, Mrs Hodgson shared work undertaken to date by Labour to tackle issues, understand Government cuts to public health budgets and hear ideas to improve provision.
Shadow Public Health Minister, Sharon Hodgson MP said:
“Children are falling through the safety net, and families are having to rely upon charities and service providers for things such as breakfast clubs, holiday provision and food banks.
These children, and their families, need support from the Government in order to have access to healthy and affordable food.
The Tories must take this issue of food poverty seriously, and it must include young people in the conversation.”
The Children’s Future Food Inquiry has spent 12 months investigating children’s food insecurity across the UK, and the project’s final report compiles the experiences of hundreds of young people, academics and experts.
Stephen Morgan MP, Member of Parliament for Portsmouth South, said:
“I am very grateful to the Shadow Public Health Minister for visiting Portsmouth to hear the challenges city communities face after Tory and Lib Dem cuts to services we all rely on.
In a wealthy society that claims to value compassion and humanity, how can we tolerate the injustice of millions of children going hungry? With a third of children living in poverty in our city, this just isn’t good enough.
In the face of the Government’s refusal to help, I welcome the Children’s Future Food Inquiry which has brought together hundreds of young people to hear about their lived experience of food poverty.
It’s time the Tories and Lib Dems listen, and importantly act, on what they say”.
A #Right2Food Charter included in the report presents recommendations from children aged between 10 and 18 for improving their access to enough nutritious food.
Their key proposal is for a new Children’s Food Watchdog, which will stand as an independent body, with children and young people involved in its leadership.
The report was initiated by MPs, peers and experts and addresses issues including holiday hunger, unhealthy food marketing and the stigma attached to free school meals.
