News

Post-war food policies ‘cast new light’ on free school meals, researchers find

2 mins read
The current generation of children are suffering from "more piecemeal nutritional support from both Conservative and Labour governments" compared with services available to their parents and grandparents, says The Food Foundation.
The new resource tracks decades of changes to child food policies. Picture: Adobe Stock
The new resource tracks decades of changes to child food policies. Picture: Adobe Stock

At the launch of its new Children’s Food Policy Library, which documents the historical changes in government legislation to childhood nutrition and poverty dating back 140 years, Anna Taylor, executive director of The Food Foundation, said that it “casts new light on today’s policy decisions” and reiterates the “urgent” need to extend free school meals to preserve children’s long term health.

The archive, which lists acts of parliament, research studies and more than 180 key policy developments aimed at improving children’s nutrition since 1879, provides a "stark record" of how Britain’s current generation of older adults benefitted from a wartime and post-war drive to improve childhood nutrition regardless of social class and income. 

Register Now to Continue Reading

Thank you for visiting Children & Young People Now and making use of our archive of more than 60,000 expert features, topics hubs, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:

What's Included

  • Free access to 4 subscriber-only articles per month

  • Email newsletter providing advice and guidance across the sector

Register

Already have an account? Sign in here


More like this