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It is estimated that 800,000 children in England are living in poverty and do not currently qualify for free school meals. In a personal letter to the Prime Minister, Zayn pleaded with the Government to commit in their budget on 17th November to give all children in poverty a free school meal.

Zayn grew up in Bradford and was one of the many children who relied on free school meals. He knows first-hand the stigma surrounding food insecurity and the direct impact it had on his own physical and mental health.

Zayn commented: “The work the Food Foundation do to tackle child food poverty is close to my heart, as I too was one of the children in the UK that relied on programmes to ensure I was able to eat. I want Government to act urgently to ensure that children no longer have to suffer the trauma and stigma of hunger and poverty and can grow up to have healthy and productive lives.

“My long-term commitment to this work is driven by my families’ own experiences and I feel passionately that every child has a fundamental right to good food. This is a problem that we can all work together to solve.”

In addition to his personal letter, Zayn is encouraging people to get involved in the Feed the Future campaign by adding their voices via social media and by writing to their MPs: https://writetoyourmp.click/link. 

Anna Taylor, The Food Foundation’s executive director, added: “Zayn’s music has touched the lives of many millions of people. We are delighted he has taken this initiative. His own experiences as a child will resonate with many young people in Britain today whose voices go unheard.”