Parents across the UK are calling for supermarkets to do more to prevent the cost-of-living crisis damaging children’s health, as millions face an increasing struggle to afford food this winter.
In a new survey commissioned by The Food Foundation, families are seeking special offers and discounts to be extended to bread, milk, fruit and vegetables – with budget ranges available in convenience branches as well as main outlets.
They say this would help prevent lower income families from being forced to switch to cheaper alternative foods that have poor nutritional value and increase the risk of obesity.
The latest Food Foundation data has shown that almost one in four households with children (24.4%) have reported experiences of food insecurity over the last 12 months – such as having to skip meals, go hungry or go a whole day without eating.
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The London-based charity analysed that food insecure households are more likely to be buying less fruit – as 57% of food insecure households said they were cutting down on buying them, compared with 11% of food secure households.
The outlook is similar with vegetables, as the survey found that 42% of food insecure households said they were cutting down, compared with 6% of food secure households.
Lower income households already consume less of these healthier foods on average, and any further reductions in intake are likely to “worsen dietary inequalities” and “subsequent ill health”, the Food Foundation said.
The Foundation is also calling on food retailers to support its new Kids Food Guarantee, a roadmap of best practice actions to guarantee children can eat well during the cost-of-living crisis and prevent lasting damage to their health and wellbeing.
“Most families in the UK rely heavily on the major supermarkets for food, so we’d like to see the retailers stepping up to meaningfully support families with children through the cost of living crisis,” executive director of The Food Foundation, Anna Taylor said.
She added: “The Government also has a critical role to play in tackling the cost of living crisis and ensuring everyone can afford and access the food they need. Action is urgently needed in both public policy and business practice to address this crisis.”
The news comes as The Food Foundation has welcomed commitments from London mayor Sadiq Khan to provide free school meals for primary school children over the next year, to help families cut costs amid the cost-of-living crisis.
