MPs Call for More Help to Tackle Food Poverty

MPs have called for the government to appoint a food security minister to help tackle food poverty. They want to ensure progress continues in aiding to feed those hit hard by the issue.

According to a report from the Commons Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee, progress made during the pandemic needs to be maintained as lockdown is eased. Ministers took action during the pandemic, and this drive should be sustained.

Furthermore, it is suggested that the government should consider including a “right to food” as part of law.

Chair of the Commons committee, Tory MP Neil Parish noted that great efforts were made during the Covid crisis to feed the most vulnerable. Different government departments all pulled together to ensure people were fed. He thinks this should carry on into the future to become the norm.

The report showed that in the six months up to February, 5.9 million adults in the UK experienced food poverty. And 1.7 million children lived in households without enough food.

MPs called for a new food security minister to be introduced to ensure people continue to get much needed help. In addition, it requires a cross government structure where all relevant departments “prioritise the issue of food insecurity”.

Urgent Assessment

The government should also think about how to introduce the right to food in England.

Other things suggested in the report include:

• Ensuring families eligible for free school meals are able to continue feeding their children
• Improving standards of food parcels
• Urging retailers to recognise their responsibility to help vulnerable people and those shielding to access food. This includes removing delivery charges and minimum order spends for them

MPs also warned that suppliers need to receive a level of support too. This will ensure that the supply chain for the hospitality industry does not collapse. Otherwise, any support given by the taxpayer will have been a waste.

Therefore, the government needs to do an urgent assessment on how the closures of hospitality venues has impacted its suppliers. The provision of additional financial support is necessary as lockdown restrictions ease.

A Right to Food

The committee stresses the importance of appointing a new minister specifically to address the issue of food security. We have a duty to make sure everyone in the UK has the fundamental right to access enough nutritious food.

In response, a government spokesperson said the recent pandemic proved the UK has a large, diverse and highly resilient food supply chain. It has coped well in responding to unprecedented challenges that no one could have predicted. He adds that they will review recommendations in the report and respond accordingly.

Since last March, more than £280bn has been spent on delivering economic and welfare support to protect the income and needs of families and children. They are working closely with the food industry to ensure the entire population has the food and supplies they require.

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