Free school meal plea to end hunger crisis for every child living in poverty

800,000 children living in poverty don't qualify for free school meals

- David Cohen

CAMPAIGNERS today called on the Prime Minister to extend free school meals to all children in poverty in England and end the hunger crisis that is damaging their life chances.

Their appeal, Feed the Future, comes as a new study by accounting firm PwC - released to us and our sister title The Independent - reveals that the economic benefit to society of this policy shift would amount to £2.5 billion over 20 years.

There are 800,000 children in England who live in households on universal credit but are ineligible because their household income, excluding benefits, is over £7,400 a year. This low threshold applies irrespective of the number of children in the family and is causing deep hardship among families struggling with the cost of living crisis. Feed the Future is co-ordinated by the Food Foundation, the charity that combined with footballer Marcus Rashford to force the Government to feed hungry pupils in holidays during Covid.