Children’s Health And Access To Nutritious Food

Dear constituent,

Thank you for contacting me about children’s health and access to nutritious food. I believe it is vital that children have access to healthy and nutritious food.

I am deeply concerned that children and young people’s health has taken a significant hit from the pandemic.

I am further concerned that months into the pandemic too many people are still falling through the gaps in the safety net and children are going hungry as a result. Already unacceptable levels of child poverty in the UK are worsening. Urgent action must be taken to make sure that no-one goes hungry during the pandemic.

I believe the Government should expand the Healthy Start scheme to help provide children in the most deprived areas of the country with fresh fruit and vegetables. The Government must adopt a comprehensive, cross-government national strategy to tackle health inequalities, attacking the wider determinants of ill health and putting prevention first.

In July 2020, the National Food Strategy published a report which states that one of the miserable legacies of COVID-19 is likely to be a dramatic increase in unemployment and poverty, and therefore hunger. It argues that the effects of hunger on young bodies and minds are serious and long-lasting and exacerbate social inequalities.

The report recommends for the Government to ensure that all children get the nutrition they need and to expand eligibility for the Free School Meal scheme to include every child (up to the age of 16) from a household where the parent or guardian is in receipt of Universal Credit (or equivalent benefits). It also recommends for the Government to extend the Holiday Activity and Food Programme to all areas in England, so that summer holiday support is available to all children in receipt of Free School Meals.

It is vital that it is ensured that children receive the best possible start in life which includes a healthy and balanced nutrition. I believe that the Government must consider this report carefully and ensure that all children can get the food they need.

Thank you once again for contacting me about this important issue.

Yours sincerely,

 Peter Dowd MP