East Midlands charities blast MP's 'shameful' food bank comments

Some people, including a chef who helps at a food bank, believe the outcry is unjustified

An East Midlands MP's suggestion that many food bank users need to learn how to cook and budget has been criticised by charities in the region.

Lee Anderson, Conservative MP for Ashfield, made the comments in the House of Commons on Wednesday.

Food banks and groups in the East Midlands have blasted the claims, with one campaigner calling them "shameful".

But others, including a chef who helps at the same food bank as Mr Anderson, believe the outcry is unjustified.

Mr Anderson had claimed there was "not this massive use for food banks in this country", and those who knew how to cook and budget could make meals for 30p a day.

Laura Spencer, head of development at FareShare Midlands, which distributes surplus in-date food to charities and organisation across the region, said: "People are waking up in the morning and their cupboards are empty. What are they supposed to do then?

"Most families are doing all that they can to put food on the table for their children.

"Making a meal for 30p might seem like an easy thing to do for some but for a lot of people that might feel very overwhelming.

"You can't make food out of nothing. You can't cook a meal from scratch if you don't have the necessary ingredients or can't afford to turn on the cooker."

Justice minister Victoria Atkins said Mr Anderson's comments were "not right"

Mr Anderson made the comments while praising a "real food bank" he helps at in Sutton-in-Ashfield, called Let's All Eat.

David Marshall, head chef at The Porterhouse by Barlows in Kirkby-in-Ashfield, supports people with cooking lessons at the same food bank as Mr Anderson.

He told BBC Radio Nottingham the comments had been "over-hyped".

"[Let's All Eat] isn't just about the food bank," he said.

"They've also got other sections where you can go along, buy a selection of groceries and also do cooking classes. I think that's what he was kind of getting at."

Asked on Sky News about the remarks, justice minister Victoria Atkins said they were "not right", adding: "This is not the view of me or anyone else in government. We want to give not just immediate help but longer-term support as well."

She added she believed Mr Anderson's position may have been misinterpreted.

'Morally bankrupt'

The Trussell Trust says it has distributed over 2.1m crisis food parcels to people in the past year, with growing numbers visiting food banks across the country as a result of the cost of living hikes.

Meanwhile, Derby-based poverty campaigner and youth mentor volunteer, Vanessa Boon, who has launched a campaign on the cost of living and poverty, said: "It's hard to find words for how inhumane, morally bankrupt and out-of-touch Lee Anderson's remarks are.

"I'm not sure where he's shopping for his food to fund a meal for 30p? Food prices are going up and up and you've got to be able to turn on the oven, a kettle or a toaster.

"When people have spent all of their money on rent and bills, there's very little money left to spend on making meals.

"I've spoken to parents who skip meals so they can feed their kids, disabled people who are too afraid to turn on their heating and people are doing their own DIY dentistry.

"These are anecdotes you'd expect to have occurred in a Victorian Workhouse - not Britain in 2022. It's shameful."

Food poverty 'complex'

Mr Anderson invited MPs to visit the food bank in his constituency where he said people "have to register for a budgeting course and a cooking course" if they receive parcels.

But Nigel Webster, 57, from the Bestwood and Bulwell Foodbank in Nottinghamshire, said the reason people used food banks was "complex and deep-rooted".

"The key thing is food parcels are great as they can help the crisis they are dealing with. However the food package itself doesn't change anything," he said.

"They will still be dealing with the main problems but we are here to help them get through it.

"We get in touch with people who provide cooking skill courses, but that's such a small part to why people are in food poverty."

'Back to basics'

Tracy Dickinson, a trained chef who runs Tracey's Street Kitchen in Nottingham and teaches young people to cook, agreed with some of Mr Anderson's comments.

"I think we need to go back to basics", she told BBC Radio Nottingham.

"When I was at school we did home economics. I'm not being funny but how many children need to know how many wives Henry VIII had?

"Parents are accessing food banks but they don't know how or what to do with food. In some areas where I live, people just don't know how to cook.

"It's all too easy to call McDonald's but we need to teach people how to cook and about what's nutritious.

"You can do a meal for 50p. You can go to the reduced section, do some batch cooking, get a slow cooker - it's about exploring those options."