Football star throws weight behind Right to Food campaign

Manchester United and England striker Marcus Rashford has thrown his weight behind the campaign for a legal right to food in the UK, The Big Issue reports, as his own food poverty campaign continues to grow.

Speaking during the launch of his new venture to help families cook healthy meals with Healthy Start vouchers, the star striker reportedly said he backed efforts by Liverpool West Derby MP Ian Byrne, food campaigners and football fans across the country to enshrine the right to food in law.

When asked if he supports the =Right To Food campaign, The Big Issue reports that Rashford said: “Yes one hundred per cent. Is it fair that people go hungry? No, it’s not fair. I want to get it to the stage where in the worst-case scenario, the worst thing could happen in the world, at least everybody goes to bed eating meals. Breakfast, lunch and dinner, that is my aim. We’re all fighting for the same thing.”

Both Rashford’s End Child Food Poverty Taskforce and the campaign for a Right to Food have seen growing support throughout the pandemic.

Rashford’s child food poverty battle has driven the UK Government to u-turns over free school meals during holidays and he has also boosted the value of Health Start vouchers.

The Right to Food campaign has also gone from strength to strength. Led by Liverpool West Derby MP Byrne, many local authorities across the country, including Manchester, Liverpool and Newcastle, have signed up to become ‘Right to Food cities’ in recent months.

Ian Byrne MP has also called for a legal right to food to be incorporated into Henry Dimbleby’s National Food Strategy, while a parliamentary petition has attracted 47,000 signatures so far in a bid to trigger a debate at 100,000.

Responding to Rashford’s reported support, Ian Byrne MP said: “The Right to Food campaign is a perfect fit for Marcus. Nothing would give us greater pleasure than to work alongside him. We have had initial discussions with his team and would be delighted to see Marcus backing Right To Food.”

More on this story: https://www.bigissue.com/latest/is-it-fair-people-go-hungry-no-marcus-rashford-backs-right-to-food-cause/

Sign the Right To Food petition here: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/562838

Find out more about the Right To Food Campaign