One in five parents in the UK is struggling to feed their children .
According to new research carried out by Tesco supermarkets, the Trussell Trust and FareShare, 20 per cent of parents have skipped meals or relied on family members or friends in order to ensure their infants can eat.
Around 70 per cent of families that suffer from food poverty rely on sustenance provided by schools to get them through the day, which will be of great concern to Jamie Oliver who has repeatedly voiced his disapproval of the standards of cuisine available in educational institutions.
Rebecca Shelley, group corporate affairs director at Tesco, said: “The problem of food poverty in the UK has increased and shows no signs of improving. It’s hitting families hard, especially when resources like free school meals, breakfast clubs and afterschool clubs are not available.”
Lindsay Boswell, chief executive of Fareshare, commented that the supermarket chain had helped out thousands in need by providing canned products and ready meals to its distribution plants.
The publishing of this research by Tesco shows grocers are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of managing food waste and the public’s disapproval of unneeded wastage has forced them into action.
