The number of UK children in food poverty has nearly doubled in the last year to almost 4 million.
According to the Food Foundation thinktank, one in five (22%) of households reported skipping meals, going hungry or not eating for a whole day in January, up from 12% at the equivalent point in 2022.
After sustained price rises over the past year, grocery inflation currently stands at 17.1%, the highest level on record.
An estimated 800,000 children in poverty do not qualify for free school meals. To be eligible households must have an annual income of under £7,400 before benefits and after tax. That threshold has been frozen since 2018, even though prices have risen since then.
Number of UK children in food poverty nearly doubles in a year to 4m | Food poverty | The Guardian
2 comments:
It seems pretty obvious that all children in the UK should be eligible for free school meals, which would and the stigma of means testing and ensure all children are fed well once a school day. It also seems not so obvious why children are forced to go without nutritious and good quality food which is, while rising sharply in price due mainly to the profiteering of food conglomerates, not beyond the reach of everyone, even the many families relying on the measly rate of UK state benefits. Someone refute me, please! I'd like to be proven wrong with evidence.
It was the policy of the Scottish Socialist Party.
This is what we said at the time
https://www.worldsocialism.org/spgb/socialist-standard/2003/2000s/no-1188-august-2003/school-dinners-and-class-struggle/
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