An open letter to the Prime Minister, signed by more than 2,000 paediatricians, argues that “childhood hunger is an issue that should transcend politics, good nutrition is at the heart of health, wellbeing and development for children and young people”.
It notes that without access to regular healthy meals, “children’s health outcomes worsen, and with that, so do their life chances”.
The letter states: “More than four million children in the UK live in poverty and around one third of those are reliant on free school meals.
“The pandemic has entrenched and exacerbated this reality; families who were previously managing are now struggling to make ends meet because of the impact of Covid-19. It is not good enough to send them into the holiday period hoping for the best, while knowing that many will simply go hungry. Food vouchers will not solve this problem, but they offer a short-term remedy.”
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