A new briefing published today (13 January) has revealed that 400,000 children in London experience food insecurity.
Speaking prior to the summit, Kirsty McHugh, chief executive of the Mayor’s Fund for London, said: “So many children in London are unable to access nutritious food. The government has so far failed to rise to the challenge of children’s food insecurity, particularly over the holiday period.
“In the meantime, therefore, we will continue our London-wide campaign to increase access to good quality, healthy and sustainable food for all children, regardless of their background.
“We are delighted, therefore, to be hosting the first ever summit on children’s food insecurity in the UK. We hope this event will spark conversations around food insecurity not only in London, but across the whole of the country."
The survey of Londoners found that almost half of parents (49%) with children are experiencing food insecurity. Sixteen percent of parents from food insecure households are unable to provide balanced meals for their children and 9% said their children do not always have enough to eat. These figures could increase if food prices rise following the UK’s departure from the EU.
London’s young people have put forward their #Right2Food Charter which calls for the establishment of a new, independent Children’s Food Watchdog to monitor and improve children’s food across the UK.
The London Charter also calls on the Government to give free holiday provision including food for young people eligible for free school meals. The Mayor’s Fund for London’s Kitchen Social campaign supports over 100 holiday clubs across the capital.
London is the capital of the fifth richest economy in the world, yet hunger and food insecurity still exists. Being food insecure means that a person’s food intake is reduced and their eating patterns are disrupted because of a lack of money.
Longfield OBE, the children’s commissioner for England, and Debbie Weekes-Bernard the deputy manager for social integration, social mobility and community engagement will join the young people at the Children’s Food Insecurity Summit.
Longfield added: “We live in one of the most affluent countries in the world, yet we have hundreds of thousands of children going hungry. It is heart-breaking to visit a school and find there is a food bank in the school itself.
“I’ve met children who tell me they don’t know what will be in the cupboard during the school holidays when they’re not receiving their school meal. The fact is, if you grow up in poverty you have fewer opportunities to live a healthy, prosperous life.
“Tackling child poverty and keeping children safe should be a moral endeavour for every government. Our ambition should be for a country that is a great place to grow up for every child. The Government must make tackling food insecurity and child poverty a priority through changes to the benefits system and more investment in early years and family support.”