Extra 1.5m need free school meals
AN extra 1.5 million children should qualify for free school meals or else they will go hungry, a government-ordered review states.
And 1.1 million poorer youngsters must also be fed during the school holidays, it adds.
The National Food Strategy, led by Leon restaurant founder Henry Dimbleby, insists urgent action is needed to help stave off hunger.
The report described the country’s diet as a “slow motion disaster” and it also warned that poorer pupils risk being “left behind”. The review said: “One of the miserable legacies of Covid-19 is likely to be a dramatic increase in unemployment and poverty and therefore hunger.
“The effects of hunger on young bodies and minds are serious and long-lasting, and exacerbate social inequalities.”
The study proposes an expansion of free school meals in England to every child where a parent is receiving Universal Credit, adding:
“Children who are hungry at school struggle to concentrate, perform poorly and have worse attendance records.”
At present, only children from households earning less than £7,400 before benefits are eligible.
Expanding the programme could reach an additional 1.5 million youngsters, at a cost of £670million a year.
The report also calls for an expansion of the holiday activity and food programme to all areas in England, reaching an extra 1.1 million children, at a cost of £200million a year.
Mr Dimbleby urged the Government to implement the recommendations quickly.
He said: “In doing so, it will improve the health of the nation and be a necessary pillar of its ambition to level up society.”
Environment Secretary George Eustice said: “The Government has invested record levels to support the most vulnerable. But we know there is more to do, and we will carefully consider this report.”