FareShare warns of holiday hunger with no school meals

Alyson Walsh, from FareShare, says food insecurity has been an "invisible problem" for years but the pandemic has "shone a spotlight on it"

A food charity has warned of the increasing numbers of families at risk of hunger as many children face up to six weeks without a school meal.

FareShare is also raising awareness of the importance of avoiding food waste.

It says more than two million tonnes of food is wasted across the UK each year - enough to provide 1.3 billion meals.

Alyson Walsh, from FareShare, said "one in eight people is facing food insecurity" and holiday hunger "is especially bad this year."

More than one in five pupils (1.7 million) in England were eligible for free school meals in January 2021, up by more than 400,000 since the first lockdown.

Last year, England footballer Marcus Rashford campaigned to provide free school meals for families in need.

Research from The Food Foundation, spear-headed by Rashford, showed in September 2020 that 2.3 million children were in families reporting food insecurity and 12% of adults living with children were skipping meals because they could not afford or access food.

In Bristol, FareShare will be handing out over 30 tonnes of food to more than 50 holiday projects during the summer holidays

Over the past year, FareShare, which redistributes surplus food, has distributed 132 million meals.

Ms Walsh said food insecurity had been an "invisible problem" for years but the pandemic had "shone a spotlight on it".

The government has been asked to comment.

"It's a crazy situation, on one side we have 2 million tonnes worth of food - and more food than you can imagine that doesn't even get to supermarkets - and it's just surplus," she said.

"And there are people in need of food. Demand for us tripled and almost quadrupled for the amount we were getting, it was the equivalent of four meals every second."

Susannah Salino said the number of children eligible for free school meals had risen to more than 16,000 in Bristol which was "very alarming"

FareShare will be handing out over 76 tonnes of food to more than 50 projects during the summer holidays to parts of the south west region, including Bristol.

Operating from a re-opened temporary warehouse, provided by Ashton Gate Stadium, food for approximately 71,500 meals is expected to be distributed to Bristol children's holiday projects.

Susannah Salino, from FareShare South West, said: "Over the pandemic the number of children eligible for free school meals in Bristol has risen to over 16,000, which is obviously enormous.

"[The increase] is very alarming and the school holidays are a time critical moment to provide support to families to stop them falling through the gaps and into more complex issues of poverty."

Ms Salino said while food poverty is a complex issue, they hope that during the holidays they can relieve some of the pressure on families, who may find themselves struggling for the first time this year.