I’m not sure today’s launch could be more timely, with MPs debating free school meals in the House of Commons later this afternoon.
The idea that parents might skip a meal to provide food for their child may sound Dickensian, but it is a troubling reality of modern times - and has rightly been brought to the forefront of debate amidst this global pandemic.
Sustain’s report points to data from September which estimates approximately 2.3 million children are at risk of, or experiencing, food insecurity in the UK.
We know that the economic impacts of COVID-19 and school closures have only exacerbated the problem of child hunger.
The Food Foundation’s September 2020 report with King’s College London showed that the Government’s Furlough Scheme has undoubtedly protected many families from going hungry.
And it is extremely welcome that the Chancellor has extended this support to April 2021.
However, the OBR’s latest forecasts predict unemployment could rise to a peak of 7.5% this Spring - double the 3.8% level before the pandemic - and that the economic hit of the virus would also manifest in lower incomes.
Moreover, school closures have placed additional financial strains on hard-pressed parents - and this is reflected in children’s varied experiences of remote learning, which is widening the attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and their better-off peers.
Many parents, who have worked hard their entire lives, have found themselves unemployed or really struggling with the cost of living and, for the first time, unsure of how they would provide the next meal for their children.
There are deep impacts of child food insecurity on social justice - implications that can damage the life chances of potentially millions of children.
Kelloggs’ report, A Lost Education, found that if a child arrives at school hungry, teachers believe they lose at least one hour of learning time a day.
Add to that the impact of school closures on education inequalities (with around 2.3 million children learning for less than one hour per day during the first lockdown) these pupils risk being left-behind, further still.
We know that hunger significantly affects a child’s concentration, behaviour, readiness to learn, energy levels, punctuality and attendance.
Moreover, a randomised control trial of Magic Breakfast’s National School Breakfast programme by the EEF and the Institute for Fiscal Studies in 2016 showed that pupils in schools supported by breakfast clubs made an additional 2 months’ academic progress over the course of a year.
So, if we want to address the learning loss caused by this pandemic, start closing the disadvantage gap, and ensure children can fully take advantage of the £1 billion invested into catch-up tuition by the Government, then we must make sure that they are properly fed.
Not only that, but child food insecurity comes at a high price to the economy, too.
In terms of education alone, Kelloggs have calculated that, “the grip of hunger could potentially cost the Treasury at least £5.2 million a year through teachers losing teaching hours to cope with the needs of hungry children”.
And, in the long-term, tackling child hunger can help reduce unemployment, increase productivity and break a cycle of welfare reliance.
It creates a level playing field for these children - bringing them to the first rung of the ladder of opportunity.
In turn, they are able to climb those rungs, with jobs and prosperity at the top.
It’s a no-brainer.
Some of you may be aware that I led a campaign in Parliament, with help from food charities and organisations like Sustain and Magic Breakfast, in support of extending food and activities to disadvantaged children over the school holidays, rocket-boosting the National School Breakfast programme, and increasing the value of Healthy Start vouchers.
In October, I voted against my own Government in the vote on extending free school meals during the school holidays.
Since then, [and with a big push from the Leader of the Opposition, Marcus Rashford], the Government has come up with a much more comprehensive package of support to tackle child food insecurity, worth more than half a billion pounds.
And we should welcome that.
The £220 million Holiday Activities and Food programme, running over Easter, Summer and Christmas holidays this year, will not only provide disadvantaged children with a free nutritious meal, but activities like art and sports, which will be so important following the social isolation children have experienced during lockdown.
Now, as Sustain’s report calls for, the Government should build on these efforts to invest in schemes that support hungry children, on a community level.
We are not calling for new money from the Treasury.
Simply, we are asking for a proportion (50%) of the £340 million revenue from the Soft Drinks Industry Levy to be spent as it was intended at the time of its introduction: towards improving children’s health and wellbeing.
As the Taxpayers’ Alliance have shown, the levy on everyday sugary food and drinks disproportionately impacts those from disadvantaged families, as low-income households tend to drink more sugary drinks and the tax takes a greater share of their income.
Using this revenue to extend the National School Breakfast Programme, as well as establishing a new Healthy Food Innovation Fund to bring investment into schools and communities, especially in areas of high deprivation, redistributes money back to those families who have been hit hardest by the levy and, at the same time, boosts outcomes and life chances.
In my opinion, it’s a win, win.
One final thing, whilst community programmes and the Sugar Levy is important, we also need to get to the root of child food insecurity. This will involve a long-term plan that involves early interventions, identification from Day One of families that may potentially need extra support, family hubs, as well as a review of free school meals and the pupil premium, and a proper look at the welfare system to make sure it is as responsive as possible when people find themselves unemployed and could struggle to provide food for their family.
