Right To Food: Number of children in food poverty doubles

The number of UK children living in food poverty has nearly doubled in a year, to four million. That's 27% of children, or 8 in a classroom of 30. This national disgrace has to end. It’s time to put the Right to Food in law.

Meanwhile, research shows that 80% of people now support the Government expanding free school meals to all children who are living in poverty.

Based on YouGov polling of 8000 respondents in January 2023, commissioned by The Food Foundation

We cannot allow the horror of child food poverty to destroy life chances. We need a #RightToFood more than ever, including universal free school meals for every child.

It was against this backdrop that hard-line Tory Deputy Chairman Lee Anderson this week again lashed out at families who he said "abuse" foodbanks and then take their children to McDonald's. Appallingly, he said it was a "myth" that hard-pressed families reliant on Universal Credit are in poverty and that he had contacted a school in his area to find out why they were giving free breakfasts to children.

I responded by saying that I want to make it clear that the catastrophe of hunger in our communities is the result of political choices made by this government.

Demonisation of people in food poverty is an act of political cowardice.