Give more children free school meals to help tackle poor diet, review says

The review calls for more access to free school meals and food for families during the summer holidays

Free school meals should be offered to another 1.5 million children in England, says a government-ordered review into feeding the nation.

The report, called The National Food Strategy, warns that the country's eating habits are a "slow-motion disaster".

Henry Dimbleby, who wrote the report and has worked in the food industry, said a nutritious diet was the "foundation of equality of opportunity" and "unless action is taken to improve our food system, many thousands will continue to suffer".

The review was started in June 2019, but the full report follows a recent campaign by Manchester United star Marcus Rashford asking the government to continue providing free meals for children during the school holidays.

The negative impacts of growing up hungry are long-lasting and serious, says the review.

"One of the miserable legacies of Covid-19 is likely to be a dramatic increase in unemployment and poverty and therefore hunger," says Mr Dimbleby.

The review says free school meals should be available to a further 1.5 million children between the ages of seven and 16, in addition to the 1.3 million who can already get them.

The extension of free school meals would cost £670m per year.

Paul Whiteman, leader of the Nation Association of Head Teachers, said there were already too many children who "arrive at school hungry and unable to learn".

"Free school meals at least guarantee that children going hungry at home get one nutritious meal a day," he said.

The food strategy also calls for a long-term commitment by the government to feeding more families over the summer holidays, by making another 1.1 million children in England able to qualify for the "holiday activity and food programme".

Is the food industry encouraging people towards unhealthy eating habits?

There are serious consequences if the problem is not tackled immediately, says the review.

"A nutritionally poor-quality diet is the leading risk factor for ill-health in the UK, yet we do not treat it with the same seriousness afforded to other risk factors.

"That has to change," said Susan Jebb, Oxford University professor of diet and population health, who worked on the report.

The government announced this week that unhealthy food deals in England will be banned along with other plans to tackle obesity in the UK.