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On hungry children in the UK.
I have met more than one parent who has starved themselves so they could feed their kids. I have visited food banks, seen the looks of shame and despair that families carry in them. I have spoken at length with volunteers, school nurses, doctors.
I have met more than one parent who has starved themselves so they could feed their kids. I have visited food banks, seen the looks of shame and despair that families carry in them. I have spoken at length with volunteers, school nurses, doctors.
They told me that so many families are desperate to do the best for themselves / their children but the complexity and limitations of the welfare system frustrate them. Hunger can go on for months or years.
Food banks try v hard but sometimes run out of fresh produce.
Food banks try v hard but sometimes run out of fresh produce.
I've spoken to people who had a good job one day, lost it, and ended up depending on a food bank to feed their families. And I've heard about this happening worryingly often during the pandemic.
Info on all these things is also publicly available via charities and researchers.
Info on all these things is also publicly available via charities and researchers.
Schools and community centres make huge efforts but are often up against it and have many other priorities / poor funding / rely on volunteers. For many families it is NOT a question of will, it is a fact: if they don't get school meals over holidays etc, the kids might not eat.
The ignorance in this country apparent on social media (I try not to overstate this but it's HORRIFIC), the callousness expressed by some and the silence by others, is not just distressing, it is an indictment of our society at what must surely be one of our lowest points.
"Parents just need to take responsibility"
"People only want hand-outs"
"The welfare system already covers all these issues"
"Schools don't really need to feed kids"
"Vouchers cost too much"
All are inaccurate statements easily debunked with factual evidence.
"People only want hand-outs"
"The welfare system already covers all these issues"
"Schools don't really need to feed kids"
"Vouchers cost too much"
All are inaccurate statements easily debunked with factual evidence.
And if you want to understand the pandemic's influence on these issues, which were already serious pre-Covid-19, the most illuminating research I've seen yet is here:
https://www.food.gov.uk/sites/default/files/media/document/fsa-food-insecurity-2020_-report-v5.pdf
Yes, from a government agency.
https://www.food.gov.uk/sites/default/files/media/document/fsa-food-insecurity-2020_-report-v5.pdf
Yes, from a government agency.
P.s. My own reporting on this stuff here:
https://www.bmj.com/content/370/bmj.m3193
https://mosaicscience.com/story/food-poverty-nutrition-health-austerity-child-development-diet-benefits/
A point I've tried to make: food insecurity is not *just* a terrible thing for families, it represents a *public health* time bomb with long-term consequences for individuals + the nation
https://www.bmj.com/content/370/bmj.m3193
https://mosaicscience.com/story/food-poverty-nutrition-health-austerity-child-development-diet-benefits/
A point I've tried to make: food insecurity is not *just* a terrible thing for families, it represents a *public health* time bomb with long-term consequences for individuals + the nation
