In response to the Government’s announcement that they will pilot daily breakfast clubs at 750 schools across England, Helen Barnard, Director of Policy at Trussell, said: “While we welcome the introduction of breakfast clubs, without wider investment in social security their positive effects will be blunted. A free breakfast is not a substitute for parents having enough money to cover the essentials their family needs. Rumoured cuts to social security are likely to drive up hunger and hardship, undercutting the positive impacts of introducing breakfast clubs.
“It is simply not acceptable that a generation of young people are growing up with a food bank in every town. Our own research shows that one in five children are facing hunger and hardship in the UK, and our community of food banks is continuing to support exceptionally high numbers of families who are struggling to make ends meet.
“That’s why we urge the UK government to recognise this and take decisive action now. An important first step would be to scrap the two-child limit and urgently update our social security system to make sure everyone can afford the essentials.”
