ABSTRACT
This chapter explores and evaluates the fact that more children in the United Kingdom (UK) are experiencing food poverty compared to a decade ago. Food poverty or ‘household food insecurity’ can be caused by many economic factors and affects children the most. The enormous strain it puts on families, their health and wellbeing, impact on children’s development, educational attainment and social mobility are clear. The UK government approaches since food poverty in the 18th century and recent events, such as the impact of the Covid pandemic and the unprecedented rise in the cost of living and inflation are reviewed and discussed. It is concluded that food poverty can have a significant impact on health, both in terms of nutritional deficiency affecting growth, mental health and wellbeing, but also long-term health problems. Poor health associated with food poverty severely limits a child’s future potential and life chances going into adulthood. The issue policy makers are facing today is how to combine multiple initiatives into a coherent approach and how to prioritise the most effective interventions amongst those. We must as a society, including central and devolved government, employers and civil society work together to initiate steps to safeguard children and thereby disrupt the cycle of life-long disease and disadvantage.
