Today, we stand together to endorse the following 3 policy recommendations of the National Food Strategy:
1) Expansion of free school meals to every child from a household on Universal Credit or equivalent, reaching an additional 1.5million 7-16 year olds
2) Expansion of holiday provision (food and activities) to support all children on free school meals, reaching an additional 1.1million children
3) Increasing the value of the Healthy Start vouchers to £4.25 per week (from £3.10) and expanding into all those on Universal Credit or equivalent, reaching an additional 290,000 pregnant women and children under the age of 4
Over the next 6 weeks, the task force will dedicate their platforms to sharing real stories of those most affected by child food insecurity in the UK, supported by real-time statistics.
The intention and objective of the task force is to see sufficient funds from the Chancellor’s Budget and Spending Review allocated to implement the 3 policy recommendations – a unifying step to identifying a long-term solution to child food poverty in the UK.
“As a sportsman, I have always found such power in unity and teamwork, and I’m thrilled that such influential voices have put any allegiance aside to join me on my mission to move the conversation of child food poverty forward. 4.2 million children were living in poverty in the UK prior to Covid-19 and this is expected to have risen; the Task Force stand together to offer these vulnerable children the platform they need to have their voices heard. I encourage everyone to stop and listen. The time for action is now. I’m proud and I’m humbled to see such a reaction and commitment from the food industry, and I am confident that together we can help change the lives of those most vulnerable for the better.” Marcus Rashford
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