Footballer and food poverty campaigner Marcus Rashford is urging MPs to back recommendations made in the National Food Strategy to address rising food insecurity levels in the UK.
Through his new #WriteNow campaign, Rashford is calling on the general public to contact their local MPs ahead of October’s anticipated Government Spending Review and demand that urgent action is taken to end child food poverty.
With new Food Foundation data showing that 15% of UK households with children have experienced food insecurity during the past six months, as a direct result of the pandemic’s deepening economic impact and rising food costs, Rashford says that ‘devastatingly, the issue is getting worse, not better’.
“The entire nation got behind the national team this summer so let’s put these figures in football terms: you can fill 27 Wembley stadiums with the 2.5 million children that are struggling to know where their next meal might be coming from today,” he highlights.
You can fill 27 Wembley stadiums with the 2.5 million children that are struggling to know where their next meal might be coming from
“What is it going to take for these children to be prioritized? Instead of removing support through social security, we should be focusing efforts on developing a sustainable long-term roadmap out of this child hunger pandemic.
“I hope that we see the required investment pledged during the Autumn Spending Review. I will be writing to my MP about it, and I would encourage you all to do the same. It will take many of us to stand together on this, and show we care about reaching those most in need in our communities.”
The #WriteNow campaign can be supported at endchildfoodpoverty.org/write-now, where the ‘simple steps’ of writing to local MPs are outlined.
