Memorandum by Food Justice (WP 100)
1. FOOD JUSTICE.
Food Justice is the umbrella organisation that
has been campaigning for a national statutory strategy to end
food poverty—via the Food Poverty Eradication Bill and the
more recent Food Justice Strategies Bill. Our Chair is Alan Simpson
MP (Labour) and our other "lead" MPs are David Amess
MP (Conservative) and Don Foster MP (LD).
Our steering group consists of representatives
from the Black Environment Network, Child Poverty Action Group,
Crisis Fareshare, the Family Budget Unit, the Food Commission,
Friends of the Earth, Groundswell, Help the Aged, the National
Housing Federation, the Public Health Alliance, the Small and
Family Farmers' Alliance, the Soil Association and Sustain: the
alliance for better food and farming, the Women's Environmental
Network and the Zacheas Trust.
2. SUMMARY OF
SUBMISSION
This short submission is very simply that:
— The White Paper does not deal with
the issue of food poverty;
— That problem is a very large one;
— That issue has very profound effects
on health; and
— Therefore we request that the Health
Committee initiatives its own investigation into food poverty—causes,
effects and solutions.
3. FOOD POVERTY
3.1 Food poverty is the inability to afford
or have reasonable regular access to a range of foods from which
to select a healthy and varied diet. A healthy diet does not consist
solely of low fat spreads, salads, brown rice and lentils. Rather
it means having the freedom to make healthy, varied and balanced
food choices. This is caused by
— Difficulties of access (ie transport,
geography);
— Inadequate information or education.
The first two are the most important.
4. THE PROBLEM
OF FOOD
POVERTY IN
THE UK
4.1 There is wide acceptance now, including
inside Government, that food poverty does exist in the UK, and
that it is a big problem that affects a large number of people.
A recent Joseph Rowntree Foundation report[184]
found that there were four million people in the UK who did not
have access to a healthy diet—for varying reasons. Others
put it higher. There are over 14 million people in this country
who live below the poverty line—many of these people will
experience food poverty in some form during their lives. And there
is evidence to show that current benefit levels are not adequate
to purchase a healthy lifestyle—including food.[185]
There are four million pensioners alone on benefits.
4.2 Suzi Leather, the former Vice Chair
of the Food Standards Agency has said, "The total excess
deaths in the more disadvantaged half of the population is equivalent
to a major air crash or shipwreck every day . . . nutritional
inadequacy is an important contributory factor."[186]
4.3 Up to 5,000 people in each parliamentary
constituency may be malnourished.[187]
One in seven people over 65 are malnourished or at serious risk
of malnourishment and Malnutrition affects up to two million people
in the UK.[188]
4.4 An ordinary healthy diet suitable for pregnancy
is unaffordable for the one in four pregnant women who live in
poverty. Their babies are much more likely to be born at a low
birth-weight than the babies of women who can afford an adequate
diet. These low birth weight babies are at a greatly increased
risk of dying in infancy, disability and chronic heart conditions
in later life.[189]
4.5 This is but a small selection of the
evidence on this issue. If the Committee does decide to initiate
a full investigation we will be happy to make a far more detailed
submission.
February 2005
184 Poverty and Social Exclusion in the UK September
2000. Back
185
"Low Cost But Adequate"-Family Budget Unit. Back
186
Leather, S (1996) The Making of Modern Malnutrition: An overview
of food poverty in the UK. Caroline Walker Trust. Back
187
Malnutrition Advisory Group Information Sheet No 1. Back
188
Malnutrition Advisory Group Press Release 5 December 2001. Back
189
Dallison J and Lobstein T "Poor Expectations: Poverty and
Under-nourishment in pregnancy"-Maternity Alliance and NCH
Action for Children. Back
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