Food insecurity and children’s health

About this event

Food insecurity is defined as a “lack of secure access to sufficient amounts of safe and nutritious food for normal growth and development and an active and healthy life”. Poverty and inequalities are associated with food insecurity, but the relationship is complex. According to the latest estimates, around four million people in the UK, including 2.3 million children, live in households that have experienced food insecurity in the past year.

Reducing diet-related inequalities, starting from childhood, is among the recommendations from the National Food Strategy, the first independent review of England’s entire food system for 75 years, published on 15 July 2021.

Food insecurity has effects on children’s physical and mental health. Malnutrition (under-nutrition and over-nutrition) and vitamin and mineral deficiencies lead to frequent illnesses, some mental health conditions and diet-related non-communicable diseases that can persist into adulthood (such as obesity, chronic heart disease and type 2 diabetes). It also has negative consequences on children’s educational attainment.

In this online event, speakers from the academic and charity sectors will describe the latest data on food insecurity in the UK and short and long-term health effects of children’s malnutrition. Discussion will also focus on the evidence base and evaluation of interventions to tackle food insecurity for children, and programmes to support access to healthy food for children in vulnerable groups.

Chair

Baroness Boycott – Member of the House of Lords Food, Poverty, Health and Environment Committee, and member of the National Food Strategy Advisory Panel

Speakers

• Anna Taylor – Executive Director at the Food Foundation
• Professor Charlotte Wright – Professor of Community Child Health, University of Glasgow and member of the UK Scientific Advisory Committee for Nutrition (SACN)
• Professor Louise Dye – N8 Agrifood Professor of Nutrition and Behaviour, University of Leeds
• Clara Widdison – Head of Social Inclusion at the Mayor’s Fund for London

Who can join

This briefing is open to parliamentarians, parliamentary staff, Government officials and public servants.

FAQs

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Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash