The Childhood Trust has released a 27-page report revealing the stark impact of hunger and food poverty that children are experiencing, caused by the cost-of-living crisis and rising food costs. A survey of school aged children aged between 7 and 16 found that 40% reported being food insecure over the last month.
Of these (112 children out of 280 sampled at random in state schools) nearly 10% sadly revealed that they have had ‘many experiences’ of food poverty and 12.5% have had ‘several experiences’ over the last month. The charity is warning that government measures intended to help address the cost-of-living crisis do not go far enough and that this winter, thousands of children are at risk of malnutrition or worse as it launches its Christmas Challenge campaign aiming to raise £4million in 7 days.
Food prices are currently at their highest level in decades and rising rapidly, with necessities such as milk costing as much as 40% more than they did the previous year. All of thefamilies interviewed for the report emphasised the struggle they are having in covering these higher costs, with food budgets no longer sufficient to buy what they would have previously. The crucial role that food banks played in helping families struggling with food insecurity was a recurrent theme in the interviews with families.
21% of the children reported not being able to get food they wanted in the last month because there was not enough money available. 11% experienced this ‘many times’, and 10%, ‘1 or2 times’. The data also revealed that a third of childrenreported being unhappy, of which 23% fall under the ‘many times’ bracket. When children were asked if the size of their meals were cut because their family didn’t have enough food, 8% experienced this at least 1 or 2 times in the last month and4%, had experienced their meals being cut many times. 15% of children experienced hunger in the last month, of which 4% did ‘many times. When asked how they dealt with it, many said they simply “manage” feeling hungry. This finding suggests that feelings of hunger have been normalised as children know they will experience hunger often and have internalised it as a regularity.
Although uncommon, participants did allude to instances of theft during the most hopeless times. The fact that they did not have another choice is highlighted, as well as the guilt they feel both visibly by talking to them and by the shame they felt when sharing their experiences. 8% of children reported feeling embarrassed or ashamed about the methods they or their family used to get food, of which, 4% experienced this shame ‘many times’. One participant, a single mother of four who is unable to work due to a health condition expressed how providing for her family comes first, no matter what.
24% of children who reported being worried that food would run out at home were in receipt of Free School Meals (FSM), with 15% of FSM recipients experiencing these concerns many times. These findings suggest that FSM, intended as a safety net for families on the lowest incomes, are not providing sufficient support against food insecurity or relief for families struggling with rising food costs.
For parents and guardians, the widespread efforts to ensure that food is on the table for their families comes at a cost to their wellbeing, marked by a multitude of sacrifices, such as skipping meals simply to ensure their children have enough to eat, to the struggle of having to balance tight budgets in the face of rising costs.
The research additionally points to the growing feelings of shame, embarrassment and exclusion felt by children for not having enough money to have fun and play with friends, as well as for emotionally harbouring the stress and anxiety of their parents in the face of the cost-of-living crisis.
Laurence Guinness, Chief Executive, The Childhood Trust, said:“It is shocking and appalling that food insecurity is now widespread and normalised for a very large minority ofchildren living in London, many of whom were already badly impacted by, and struggling to recover from, the Covid 19 pandemic. This is an urgent public health crisis and the Government should initiate a rapid review into the scale and severity of child food poverty in order to implement measures to prevent children’s health from rapidly deteriorating.”
Professor Monica Lakhanpaul, Professor of Integrated Community Child Health, Honorary Consultant Paediatrician Whittington NHS Trust said: “The impact of food insecurity on children cannot be underestimated. Having enough food and ensuring a balanced diet has direct effect on a child’s brain development, their emotional well- being and their physical growth. Poor diets are linked to increased risk of problems such as rickets, obesity, anaemia, and stunting, and the negative impacts of these nutritional deficits will extend across children’s lifespan and into adulthood. As a society in a high-income country, we should be ashamed that so many children are not only suffering from such preventable issues, but also having to deal with the stress of not knowing where their next meal is coming from and yet accepting this as the norm. We need action now if we are to prevent child inequalities increasing and if we are to have any hope in halting the chronic physical and mental health problems these children may encounter in the years to come.”
The Childhood Trust commissioned a survey exploring child food insecurity in schools across London, polling a random sample of 280 children aged between 7-16 living in London. Fieldwork took place between September to November 2022. The Childhood Trust commissioned this research to explore the issue of food insecurity amongst children and families specifically in London. The report examines the impact of the ongoing cost of living crisis on the food security of disadvantaged children supported by the Childhood Trust’s charity partners in the capital.
The Childhood Trust is today launching its Christmascampaign that will run for one week from the 29th November 2022 aiming to raise £4m to provide a comprehensive programme of vitally needed services to meet the practical and emotional needs of more than 150,000 vulnerable and disadvantaged children over winter and throughout 2023.
