Footballer Marcus Rashford launches petition for UK Gov to end child food poverty

England footballer Marcus Rashford MBE has today launched a Parliamentary Petition on Government website, calling on the General Public to pledge support to #endchildfoodpoverty.

The petition calls for support to vulnerable children by implementing three vital recommendations from the Government commissioned National Food Strategy. Click here to sign the petition.

The #endchildfoodpoverty campaign is supported by the Child Food Poverty Task Force which was formed by Mr Rashford, a further 20 charities and key names in the food industry.

They are calling on Government to allocate sufficient budget to the three National Food Strategy recommendations, as part of an urgent recovery package for vulnerable children this Autumn.

These are:

. Expansion of free school meals to every child from a household on Universal Credit or equivalent, reaching an additional 1.5 million 7-16 year olds

. Expansion of holiday provision (food and activities) to support all children on free school meals, reaching an additional 1.1 million children

. Increasing the value of the Healthy Start vouchers to £4.25 per week (from £3.10) and expanding into all those on Universal Credit or equivalent, reaching an additional 290,000 pregnant women and children under the age of four

Data released by the Food Foundation today reveals 18% of 8-17 year olds (1.4 million children) reported experiences of food insecurity over the summer holidays.

Experiences of food insecurity included:

. Having to eat less and make food last longer because of lack of money to buy more (6%)

. Parents not eating because there wasn’t enough food at home (5%)

. Children being hungry but not eating to avoid using up food at home (4%)

. Children being hungry but not eating because of lack of food at home (4%)

. Not eating a proper meal due to lack of money for food (4%)

. Eating at a friend’s house because there wasn’t enough food at home (3%)

. 6.3% of children said they were worried about going hungry during the October half term

Rising numbers of families are struggling with an 11% (850,000) of children aged 8-17 reporting that either they or their families had visited a foodbank in the summer holidays. This was over 60% higher in non–white British ethnic groups.

The Food Foundation’s recent You Gov survey showed that 31% of parents of children on Free School meals across the UK said they received no form of help over the summer holidays.

For those that did get help, most (75%) received vouchers while 10% of all parents said that changes in the household budget affected their ability to purchase food over the summer holidays.

The Food Foundation is also launching the Children’s Right 2 Food Dashboard which is a one-stop-shop for data and research on what children across the UK are eating and the effects on their wellbeing and long-term health.

Marcus Rashford said: “For too long this conversation has been delayed. Child food poverty in the UK is not a result of COVID-19. We must act with urgency to stabilise the households of our vulnerable children.

"In 2020, no child in the UK should be going to bed hungry, nor should they be sat in classrooms concerned about how their younger siblings are going to eat that day, or how they are going to access food come the holidays.

"The school holidays used to be a highlight of the year for children. Today, it is met with anxiety from those as young as 7-years old. Many have said that education is the most effective means of combating poverty. I do not disagree with this statement, but education is only effective when children can engage in learning.

"Right now, a generation who have already been penalised during this pandemic with lack of access to educational resources are now back in school struggling to concentrate due to worry and the sound of their rumbling stomachs. Whatever your feeling, opinion, or judgement, food poverty is never the child's fault.

"Let's protect our young. Let's wrap arms around each other and stand together to say that this is unacceptable, that we are united in protecting our children."

Emma Thompson, ambassador for Children’s Right2Food campaign said: “In the sixth richest economy in the world these figures speak for themselves. There is absolutely no need for any child to go hungry in the UK.

"The fact that they are and in increasing numbers suggests cracks in a broken food system that can and must be repaired as a matter of the utmost urgency. Apart from the moral duty we owe to children, this is a severe public health problem.”

Anna Taylor, executive director of Food Foundation said: “School holidays are a financial pressure point which many families just can’t afford at the moment. Hunger does not take a holiday.

"The government needs to put in place a permanent solution to school holiday hunger and implement the recommendations in the National Food Strategy. While children have been spared the virus, they have not been spared it’s economic impacts and we must act to protect them.”

Jo Whitfield, CEO, Co-op Food, said: “Child hunger is heart breaking and a growing problem in the UK as the number of children claiming free school meals is increasing.

"Co-op was founded on the principle of fairness and we joined the taskforce to help campaign for greater help for those who need it most in our communities. We can now all play a part by signing this important petition.”