Young Food Ambassadors from across the UK are calling for the government to act on their Children’s Right2Food Charter after over half adults said they need more help in providing healthy meals.
Members of the Children’s Right2Food Campaign argue that coronavirus pandemic has resulted in high levels of food insecurity with 20,000 youngsters having to skip meals due to lack of sufficient food access.
In a report published today by the Food Foundation, campaigners are urging for the government to acknowledge that children’s food insecurity has increased during lockdown and is likely to get worse as unemployment rises.
The report revealed that 30% of adults with children in their household say they would like fruit and vegetables be more affordable despite predictions that prices are likely to rise.
Dame Emma Thompson, an ambassador for the Children’s Right2Food Campaign, is demanding a formal response from the government and to monitor and protect children’s food in the UK.
She said: “The ‘compassionate society’ that we pride ourselves on has become an uncomfortably glaring misnomer. If it’s justice, humanity and moral duty that we care about here, then why are millions of children going hungry every day?
“We already had unacceptable levels of food poverty in the UK and the current Covid-19 crisis is leaving many more of our children at risk of food insecurity. It’s a scar on our nation’s conscience and we need our Government to act now.”
In the ‘A Year of Children’s Food’ report, it identifies multiple Covid-19 delays that urgently require policy changes, demonstrating that increasing financial and social instability for many families will mean further delays to policy developments that will impact more children living in poverty.
The Children’s Right2Food Charter, which was delivered to 10 Downing Street in April 2019 has yet to receive a formal response from the Department for Education.
However the charter has been updated in light of the problems exacerbated by the Covid-19 lockdown, and provides an evidence-based road map for the government to ensure that every children has access to a healthy diet.
The key proposal put forward by the Young Food Ambassadors in their Children’s Right2Food Charter is a Children’s Right to Food Commission to monitor and improve children’s food.
he Commission would be established in law, operate across all four UK nations and have young people at the heart of its leadership on developing a plan to deliver the changes set out in the Charter.
The Young Food Ambassadors are releasing a Right2Food podcast series, with the first episode out today to raise awareness on the issue.
Dev Sharma, England, 15, Young Food Ambassador, said: “Our Charter is a comprehensive list of actions we want the government to take to reduce children’s food insecurity in the UK.
“Many of these things will also help tackle childhood obesity as we know that unhealthy food is so often the cheapest options and is therefore often what teenagers end up eating. Please Boris – read our Charter. It’s full of things you can easily achieve.”
Saffron Stedall, England, 16, Young Food ambassador, said: “Lockdown has been really tough for so many young people and affected our lives in so many ways. But there is now a real possibility that government could bring in some policies to help end the stigma of poverty and improve kids’ access to healthy, sustainable food. It would be good for our health and good for the planet too.”
Anna Taylor, executive director of the Food Foundation, said: “Covid-19 has shone a spotlight on the scale of children’s food insecurity and the health risk posed by such high levels of childhood obesity in the UK. We can no longer delay the changes we urgently need to ensure all children across the UK have access to healthy food, and that no child living in poverty falls through the gaps.
“The solutions to build a more resilient future for our children are set out in the Children’s Right2Food Charter. Young people are ready to act. It’s time for political leaders to step up and support them.”
