London Calling: Child and Family Food Insecurity
Photo Credit © Luke Stackpole on Unsplash.
“We have spoken to children who have shoplifted for food,
scavenged for food from bins,
eaten tissue paper to fend off hunger,
bartered for food at school, sold drugs for food,
and mugged other children for money for food.” [FN1]
Laurence Guinness, Chief Executive of The Childhood Trust
It is shocking that in the United Kingdom, one of the world’s wealthiest countries, food insecurity has become such a serious problem that for the first time in the 70-year history of United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), a domestic emergency response was launched in December 2020 to combat household and child food insecurity stemming from the Covid-19 pandemic in the UK.
A May 2021 Yougov poll [FN2] showed that some 2.4 million children (17%) were living in food-insecure households. [FN3] In London alone, 400,000 children were affected. [FN4]
Food insecurity has a devastating effect on children. It can result not only in physical problems such as malnutrition, developmental stunting, rickets and anemia, but also mental health issues including depression, aggressive behavior, extreme stress and hopelessness in some of the most vulnerable and needy communities. [FN5] Many commentators blame the Conservative government, which in their view has failed to provide adequate resources for the growing needs in London (and elsewhere in the UK), relying on charities to fill the gap. [FN6] The numbers tell the story: In 2009/2010, 41,000 people received food parcels in the UK, [FN7] that number rose to some 3 million in 2018/2019. [FN8]
Food banks in the UK
The food bank system in the UK is an operation run by 40,000 volunteers and is reliant on food drives by churches, schools, companies and individuals. Eligible people can be referred to a food bank by social services and given a voucher to access a three-day emergency food package. [FN9] Ironically, the biggest organizer of food banks in London is the Trussell Trust, an NGO and charity organization working to “Stop UK Hunger” so that one day there will be no further need for food banks. The Trussell Trust supports 1,300 food bank operations across the UK but does not publish specific numbers for the London area.
The other major group supporting food banks in the UK is the Independent Food Aid Network (IFAN) which is on a different tack, calling for continuous donations to all food banks in order to meet the needs of hungry children and families in Britain. [FN10] According to a Commons Library Research Briefing published in July 2021, there are at least 929 independent food banks in the UK today; and that figure does not include food aid that is distributed by local authorities, the Salvation Army or food banks associated with churches, schools or hospitals. [FN11] The same parliamentary report notes that regions with the highest distribution of Trussell Trust food parcels were London in 2020-21 and North-West England in 2019-20. IFAN estimates that more than 3,000 “frontline food providers” work outside of the food bank model.
Government, Universal Credit and the Corona Furlough
There have been some food-related government initiatives, such as the introduction of a national supermarket voucher system to provide children with a value of £15 as food for a week (US$20.5 at the time of writing). It was designed for use when schools were in lockdown and children were unable to access school lunch; however, the system was frequently overwhelmed.
Major factors driving food insecurity are financial insecurity, unemployment, household debt and weaknesses in the state benefits system. Together, these create a perfect storm for those in need. [FN12] The British government has simplified the previous 6 “income support” benefits, and claimants now simply apply online for Universal Credit for potential benefits, assessed through a calculator. Between March 24, 2020 and May 4, 2020, some 1.8 million Britons applied for welfare support through the Universal Credit system, with 40 percent of working Britons furloughed during 2020 and seeking assistance through the government’s Job Retention Scheme. [FN13&FN15]
However, the Covid-19 pandemic is currently perceived by the government as being under control and the government intends from October 1, 2021 to cut £20 per week off all Universal Credit benefits in the name of post-Covid “jobs-led recovery”. Major social actors are pleading with the government not to implement this policy for lowest-income households, but there has been no change made to the government’s position at the time of writing, inspiring some members of Parliament to call current measures “poverty-inducing policy”. However much the government frames its measures as helpful, there is a definite sense of foreboding concerning the blanket policy cut [FN14] that will come into force at the same time that the Corona Virus Furlough Scheme will come to an end. [FN15] Energy prices will rise simultaneously, making for an even more perfect storm.
There are a number of organizations dedicated to helping children and families in need of food insecurity relief. Monetary donations can help ease the strain on these already hard-pressed groups. Some notable charities and organizations include:
https://www.trusselltrust.org/
https://www.salvationarmy.org.uk/
https://endchildfoodpoverty.org/
Resources and Notes
1. https://www.bigissue.com/latest/holiday-hunger-can-drive-kids-to-eating-toilet-paper-says-charity/
2. YouGov is a British international internet-based market research and data analytics firm, headquartered in the UK. It is owned by Stephen Shakespeare and main shareholders include BlackRock and Standard Life Aberdeen. YouGov is a member of the British Polling Council.
3. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/dec/16/unicef-feed-hungry-children-uk-first-time-history
6. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12571-020-01080-5
7. A food parcel from charities typically contain breakfast cereal, instant soup, pasta, rice, tinned tomatoes/ pasta sauce, lentils, beans and pulses, tinned meat, tinned vegetables, tea/coffee, tinned fruit, biscuits. UHT milk, and fruit juice.
8. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12571-020-01080-5
9. https://www.trusselltrust.org/what-we-do/
10. https://www.sustainweb.org/news/mar20_independent_food_banks_ask_can_we_stay_open/
11. for the full report Food Banks in the UK, including recommendations, please see https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-8585/CBP-8585.pdf
13. https://cdn.obr.uk/Coronavirus_reference_scenario_commentary.pdf ; see also Footnote 15
14. See article by think tank Joseph Rowntree Foundation at https://www.jrf.org.uk/press/uk-heading-biggest-overnight-cut-basic-rate-social-security-world-war-ii
15. As part of its response to the COVID-19 pandemic the government introduced the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme. This allows all UK employers with employees on a PAYE scheme to designate some or all employees as ‘furloughed workers.’ Employers can access Government support to continue paying part of these furloughed employees’ salaries and potentially protect the employees from redundancy. This arrangement will no longer after September 2021.