Children’s #Right2Food Campaign

ABOUT

The Children’s #Right2Food Campaign is a nationwide initiative to ensure every child in the UK can access and afford good food, and was shaped by the findings of the Children’s Future Food Inquiry. Led by Young Food Ambassadors from across the UK and coordinated by the Food Foundation, the campaign calls for government action to tackle children’s food insecurity, and puts forward its vision in the Children’s #Right2Food Charter.

The Children’s Future Food Inquiry was launched in 2018 as the first attempt to speak directly and systematically to children, young people and those who live and work with them about children’s experience of food and how it affects their lives. The Inquiry was spearheaded by a cross-party parliamentary committee and conducted by partners in each of the devolved nations: Food Sense Wales, Children in Wales, Children in Scotland and Children in Northern Ireland.

The involvement of young people in the Inquiry was thanks to coordination from Fixers and the support of the Tudor Trust, Trust for London, the National Lottery Community Fund and the Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland.

The Children’s Future Food Inquiry’s final report and young people’s #Right2Food Charter were published on April 25th 2019. The young Food Ambassador’s campaign film is available here.

In January 2020, the Children’s #Right2Food Campaign published a briefing looking at the scale and nature of children’s food insecurity in London. Based on the GLA’s measure of food insecurity in the capital and building on the work done by the UK-wide Children’s Future Food Inquiry, the report profiles the views and experiences of young people in London and puts forward their London Children’s #Right2Food Charter, which identifies policy priorities from the national Charter and makes recommendations for their practical application in the capital.

Download your copy of the briefing and the London Children’s #Right2Food Charter here.

The London Children’s Food Insecurity briefing was launched at City Hall at the first ever London Children’s Food Insecurity Summit, hosted by the Food Foundation in partnership with the GLA and the Mayor’s Fund for London Kitchen Social holiday provision programme. Find out what happened at the event and watch the BBC London coverage here.

At the Summit, Debbie Weekes-Barnard, Deputy Mayor for Social Integration, Social Mobility and Community Engagement, called for the government to implement the London Children’s #Right2Food Charter, and to establish the Children’s Food Watchdog:

“We do need to up the ask that we make of those who we know can make a real, tangible difference in the lives of children… We also think it’s incredibly important for them to think about having a person or group of individuals who can have more of a strategic oversight over the way we look at food insecurity across London. And so we would ask them to consider implementing the recommendations of the London #Right2Food Charter, which advocates for the establishment of an independent Children’s Food Watchdog, which will help with all of the things we’re discussing today.”

An estimated 4.1 million children are living in poverty in the UK but we know little about how many of these children experience food insecurity, how it impacts on their lives and what could be done about it.

The Trussell Trust reports giving out food parcels to more than 500,000 people in 2014/15 of which half are estimated to be for children. Before the introduction of universal infant free school meals, 1.7 million children were eligible for free school meals on the basis of their family income – fewer than those living in poverty but many more than those receiving food parcels.

The only national measure of food insecurity reported by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation estimates 8.4 million people are living in food insecure households in the UK.  UNICEF’s analysis of this same data estimates 10% of British children are living in severely food insecure households, but this survey is based on a relatively small sample.

The evidence suggests that child food insecurity exists, and potentially affects millions of children but that the nature, extent and effects of child food insecurity are poorly understood. The issue has received scant political attention and children’s voices are absent. The Inquiry was initiated to address this urgent problem.

THE INQUIRY COMMITTEE

The Children’s Future Food Inquiry and the Children’s #Right2Food Campaign that emerged from its findings has the support of a cross party group of 14 parliamentarians and two All Party Parliamentary Groups.  It also has the support of the Children’s Commissioners in all four UK nations.

Inquiry committee members (listed below) attended witness hearings and reviewed the evidence gathered during the Inquiry, as well as overseeing the development of the final report.

INQUIRY OUTPUTS

The Inquiry was implemented over a fourteen-month period and built a national consensus on what needs to be done to prevent children’s food insecurity and to ensure their food is both nourishing and sets them up for a healthy and productive future.

The affordability of a healthy diet

In September 2018, the Food Foundation published new analysis, the ‘Affordability of the UK’s Eatwell Guide’, which finds that 3.7 million children in the UK live in households for whom a healthy diet is increasingly unaffordable. The press release, infographics and Guardian coverage are available here, and the full paper is also available to read.  This formed a vital part of the evidence base for the Inquiry.

Children’s perspectives

During 2018 Fixers held workshops across the UK with children and young people under 18 years to gather their perspectives on food, and captured their views in a report.

During this process fifteen of these young people decided to become Food Ambassadors for the Inquiry and came to Westminster on January 19, 2019 to present their report to parliamentarians.  They also appeared on Channel 4 news and on ITV news.

Two groups of young people made videos which capture their views. These can be seen here and here.

Academic review

The National Institute of Health Research commissioned a literature review into the extent and consequences of child food insecurity which can be found here.

Expert testimony

The Inquiry also received more than 100 written submissions and is holding hearings in Westminster, the Scottish parliament and Stormont to hear directly from those working with children and young people.  The Inquiry’s young food ambassadors are joining the Committee for these sessions.

Final report

The Children’s Future Food Inquiry’s young Food Ambassadors joined Dame Emma Thompson at a Westminster event to celebrate the publication of the Inquiry’s final report on Thursday 25^th April 2019. National launches in Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland took place in the following weeks.

View the young Food Ambassadors’ #Right2Food campaign film here, and listen to Dame Emma Thompson talking about the Inquiry on BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme.

The report includes the Children’s #Right2Food Charter, which calls for a new, independent Children’s Food Watchdog to lead the charge on tackling children’s food insecurity in the UK.

The #Right2Food Charter presents the Inquiry’s young ‘Food Ambassadors’ (aged between 10 and 18 years) own recommendations for loosening the grip of food poverty on children in the UK and improving their access to enough nutritious food.

Dame Emma Thompson, Children’s Future Food Inquiry ambassador, said: “In a wealthy society that claims to value compassion and humanity, how can we tolerate the injustice of millions of children going hungry?

“In face of the government’s refusal to help, the Children’s Future Food Inquiry has brought together hundreds of young people to hear about their lived experience of food poverty, and it’s time we listened to what they say. It’s the younger generation who will deliver the change that’s so urgently needed: we must act now to ensure every child in the UK has their right to food.”

We are very grateful to the following sponsors who are making this inquiry possible.  If you would like to see your logo below, please email office@foodfoundation.org.uk

Meeting notes and slides will be uploaded below after each meeting.  If you require any further information on any of the meetings we hold please email office@foodfoundation.org.uk.

If you would like to ensure you are invited to future meetings, please complete the form below to be added to our mailing list.

Everybody should have access to good food. Nobody should go to bed hungry. The Food Foundation is a proud member of the End Hunger UK alliance.