‘Child hunger is not an issue that should be up for debate’

The failure to ensure children have adequate food provision should be a ‘never-to-be-repeated’ national scandal. Instead, it’s become a vicious cycle.

The outcry over the pitiful supplies given to families entitled to free school meals is just the latest failure and yet lessons don’t seem to be learned. We have a Premier League footballer leading on this issue with compassion and understanding and a prime minister who blusters and backtracks.

In the face of a high profile campaign, immense public pressure and countless petitions, the government eventually did a U-turn on its refusal to provide support for families entitled to free school meals during the summer holidays, and again over the festive break. It then conceded this month that vouchers to enable parents to buy their own food is a better option than issuing another contract to a private firm.

Each small victory has been a hard won battle that still fails to bring any long-term security for families. In Bristol, the council has confirmed 20,000 children entitled to free school meals will receive food vouchers over the February half term, using funds from the Winter Grant Scheme.

But still a question mark remains over future holidays as local leaders and charities continue to lobby the government for better support. And food poverty continues to spiral.

FareShare has scaled up its efforts to meet rising need in the region – photo by Ellie Pipe

Since the start of the pandemic, FareShare South West has gone from providing enough food for one million meals to nearly 3.5 million meals, with figures only expected to rise. Food banks have reported a similar increase in need over the last year, with North Bristol Food Bank recently saying they expect 2021 to be even tougher.

People in Bristol have rallied to plug the gaps in provision and ensure no child goes hungry. From the volunteers cooking hot meals for families in their communities and grassroots delivery schemes to the citywide stockpiling efforts, ordinary people – many of whom face struggles of their own – are dedicating their time to helping others in need.

The pandemic has only served to highlight existing gaps and inequalities, and as the number of people facing food poverty has spiralled, charities, teachers, parents, community groups, corporations, chefs and so many more have worked around the clock to meet a rising need.

Volunteers have packed boxes with careful attention to detail, treats added alongside fresh produce and activity books to provide a creative outlet for children confined to often over-crowded homes – little touches that could make all the difference.

People are doing this because it is what needs to be done. As Marcus Rashford said in his impassioned letter to the government, this is about humanity. It isn’t an issue that should be up for debate.

The very basic every child deserves is enough proper food to eat and, in a rich country like ours, where supplies are plentiful, to fail to provide this is unforgivable.

Rashford’s high profile campaign, coupled with the power of social media, has starkly highlighted the issue of child hunger. It shouldn’t take a great leap of empathy for government ministers to realise immediate action and long-term thinking is needed.

Bristol North West MP Darren Jones has highlighted the need for a long-term, cross-party commitment to eradicating child poverty in our country.

Speaking on Channel 4 News recently, he said: “We know that it takes a long-term solution to this, yet the government doesn’t have a child poverty strategy.

“We should be talking about the causes of child poverty here, not just a temporary problem. Surely we can agree as a country as rich as ours that child poverty is unacceptable.”

Echoing his sentiment, Bristol South MP Karin Smyth is calling on the Government to implement an in-depth plan to stop the blight of child poverty now.

Chef and Square Food Foundation founder Barny Haughton has said he hopes the recent national outcry will be a pivotal moment of change. He believes putting food education at the heart of the mainstream curriculum will help to break the cycle of food poverty and making quality meals accessible for all.

It’s a solution that could not only tackle hunger but also payout tenfold in terms of savings on health care.

It’s clear the need for change is long overdue. It’s starting to happen here in the city, with one example being Bristol Bites Back Better campaign’s aim to empower people to create a sustainable and resilient food system for all.

But we need a radical overhaul in thinking from the government. This shouldn’t even be a matter that’s up for debate; we need to start doing better for our children so food poverty can become a thing of the past.

Ellie Pipe is Bristol24/7’s News Editor. Main photo of Feeding Bristol’s Healthy Holidays project courtesy of  Duchess Media

Read more: Mammoth effort to meet spiralling demand as food poverty in Bristol soars