News

Delegates heard case studies of youngsters who shared the hardship of trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle when their parents are forced to choose between heating and eating.

The latest Government data shows there are more than four million children living in poverty across the UK as a result of austerity, the pandemic and now the ongoing and spiralling cost of living crisis.

A study conducted by Professor Julie Brannen and Professor Rebecca O’Connell found that half of parents living in low-income households sheltered their children from food insecurity by limiting their own food intake or skipping meals.

In a poignant statement read by Prof Brannen, a boy called Jimmy said: “sometimes I go to bed hungry. I just started to grow and when I started to grow, I think my belly started to grow too.”

Furthering the discussion around the significance of Free School Meals in a struggling climate, attendees also heard about several other schemes across the UK which are striving to ensure children have access to healthy food, all year round.

Sara Stanner, science director for British Nutrition Foundation, commented: “We recognise the need for all children to have access to healthier food in schools, alongside provision of good food and nutrition education which we support through our Food-a fact of life education programme.”