ACT NOW ON CHILD HUNGER

77% of kids believe problem getting worse | Stars demand more action by government

- SASKIA ROWLANDS

JAMIE Oliver is calling for a huge expansion of free school meals to tackle child poverty.

He says the Government must act now as a survey shows one in four secondary schoolchildren know someone their age who regularly skips meals and goes hungry as the cost-of-living crisis deepens.

The celebrity chef, 48, is campaigning for all primary school kids whose families are on universal credit to receive free school food.

He said: "We know child hunger is a real issue affecting British families.

"And the school holidays can be especially challenging, particularly for those on low incomes.

"These findings highlight just how urgent the situation is.

"Free school meals can't just be limited to term time if we truly want to help people. The Government must act now to continue to provide this vital support.

The figures, collected for foodbank charity the Trussell Trust, also found 77% of kids feel food poverty has worsened in the last year.

SHOCKING

And 88% of the 1,000 quizzed admitted feeling worried about the number going hungry.

Some 800,000 children living in poverty miss out on free school meals - as rules only cover kids from Universal Credit households earning less than £7,400 a year from work.

And the Government only gave vulnerable kids food vouchers during holidays after a campaign by England footballer Marcus Rashford in 2020.

Since then it has been left to councils to run schemes, which means families face a postcode lottery. England and Newcastle star Callum Wilson last night joined Jamie in slamming the Tories' lack of support. Wilson, 31, who has helped out at Gateshead food-bank, said: "The statistics from the Trussell Trust are shocking. As someone who grew up in a household that benefited from the support of foodbanks, it's an issue that's very personal to me.