East of England parents worry about what their children eat due to rising costs of fresh food

Nutritious food is out of reach for many young people, with unhealthy food making up more of their diets because of its convenience and cost

Every week, more than one in seven parents in the East of England (15%) must buy unhealthy food for their children because they can’t afford healthier options, according to a new survey for Barnardo’s. And almost two-thirds of parents in the region (60%) who had to buy unhealthy food for their children in the last year said they were worried about what they were feeding their children.

Katy Wild, a Barnardo’s Community Engagement Officer, runs The Food Basket across three Barnardo’s Child & Family Centres in Cambridgeshire, which prevent surplus food going to waste by providing fresh items, including fruit, vegetables and bread, to locals.

She said: “The main focus of The Food Basket is health and wellbeing. We’ve worked with organic veg box company, Riverford, at their Sacrewell Farm for more than two years now. This fantastic partnership means we can offer people in the community fresh organic veg that is straight from farm to fork, at absolutely no cost.

“We never know what we are going to have on offer at The Food Basket from week to week, which is exciting as Riverford grow so many vegetables that aren’t available in supermarkets, like purple cauliflower. We give out recipe cards for meal ideas and love chatting with people who visit The Food Basket to hear about the new foods they’ve discovered and what they’ve made with the fresh items they picked up. “Many people have told us that The Food Basket supports them with the rising cost of fresh food. One parent said that the money they save on supermarket shopping helps them pay the electricity bill, giving them one less thing to worry about each month.”

Barnardo's is here to support families across the region to put healthy food on the table

The findings from Barnardo’s survey feature in a new report by the charity - Nourishing the Future – which highlights growing evidence that nutritious food is out of reach for many young people, with unhealthy food making up more of their diets because of its convenience and cost.

Recommendations to the government from the report include: - measures to increase the value of healthy shopping vouchers given to families with young children living on the lowest budgets - making school lunches free for all primary school children, with an immediate extension to all families receiving Universal Credit - strengthening the rules on the quality of meals that schools can provide - using the proceeds of any future taxes on sugar or salt to reduce food insecurity.

Barnardo’s Regional Director of Children’s Services for the Central Region, Adam Cooper said: “We know from our work in the community that many parents are making big sacrifices to make sure their children have the best food they can afford.

“But the reality is that high prices mean healthy food is out of reach for many families living in poverty, as it becomes harder to buy, cook and eat good food. This, in turn, can make the food their children eat a huge source of worry for parents.

A mother returns from food shopping with her children

“Missing out on a balanced, nutritious diet has a huge impact on a child’s health and wellbeing. Barnardo’s is here to support the families who need us most across the region to put healthy food on the table. We do this in whatever way we can, whether helping with access to fresh food and healthy shopping vouchers; running cooking classes, events and workshops; giving help and guidance; or sourcing low energy cookers, so that children can enjoy a warm, nutritious meal more often.”