Childhood food poverty in the UK
No child should go hungry
As part of the launch of our Food Systems Policy Hub, Dr J. Bernadette Moore and Dr Charlotte Evans from the School of Food Science and Nutrition at the University of Leeds, explored how we can tackle childhood food poverty in a webinar on Tuesday 10 November.
The webinar and panel discussion considered how over the last 10 years the number of children in the UK living with food poverty has increased, alongside a rise in childhood obesity.
With Marcus Rashford’s school dinners campaign, there is increasing momentum towards tackling childhood food poverty. This online event explored the current situation including social and economic pressures of COVID-19 and Brexit, which are posing additional challenges. The panel examined current community efforts aimed at mitigating food poverty and deliberated priority areas for policy action at both local and national levels.
- Denise Bentley, Co-founder and Chief Executive, First Love Foundation – Insights from the National Food Strategy
- Kim Roberts, Chief Executive, HENRY – The importance of a healthy start
- Dr Megan Blake, University of Sheffield – Building resilience to food insecurity through food ladders
- Professor Jonathan Rushton, University of Liverpool – Barriers to quality food access in Liverpool
- Dr Maria Bryant, Hull York Medical School – The role of community food assets in a multicultural population
- Professor Louise Dye, University of Leeds – Too hungry to learn? The role of school breakfast provision in academic performance
Didn’t catch the webinar? Watch the recording…
Here are key documents which accompany the webinar recording:
Find out more…
Policy impact
Research and policy briefs
Tackling childhood food poverty in the UK
In this policy brief, Dr J Bernadette Moore and Dr Charlotte Evans from the University of Leeds, consider how actions are needed from national government and local authorities to reduce reliance on emergency food provision and improve take-up of eligible financial support.
“The reality is that on Universal Credit I cannot provide the recommended amount of fresh fruit and vegetables per day for my children”: Moving from a behavioural to a systemic understanding of food practices
This paper is part of the N8 AgriFood Collection for Emerald Open Research, written by Dr Madeleine Power, Dr Katie J. Pybus, Prof Kate E. Pickett and Prof Bob Doherty, University of York
Blogs
Mapping the extent of adult food insecurity in the UK
By Dr Megan Blake and Dr Adam Whitworth, University of Sheffield and Dr Angelo Moretti, Manchester Metropolitan University
Addressing poverty cannot be achieved via focus on food
By Dr Maddy Power, Welcome Trust Research Fellow, University of York
School food has a proven track record in reducing child food poverty
By Dr Charlotte Evans, School of Food Science and Nutrition, Faculty of Environment, University of Leeds