Today London's first comprehensive food poverty profile is released which looks Beyond the Food Bank at what local authorities are doing to help the most vulnerable access food.
The new report from London Food Link, looks at support from infants through to old age, focusing on initiatives that help put more money in the pockets of those in need (healthy start vouchers, breastfeeding, Living Wage, free school meals, along with breakfast clubs and holiday meal provision), and those that help provide access to affordable, healthy food (improving physical access and supporting meals on wheels).
Key findings show:
- 1 in 3 London boroughs have cut their meals on wheels
- 220,000 London pupils from families living below the poverty line are not enrolled in Free School Meals - most of whom are not eligible.
- 64% of London boroughs do not guarantee employees a London Living Wage
Report author, Hannah Laurison commented,
"Too much focus has been put on the role of food banks in tackling food poverty. Whilst it's incredibly important that we support individuals in crisis, alleviating long term food poverty requires action to reduce inequality, preserve a strong safety net and build resilient communities where good food is available to all. This report shows what local authorities can do, and in some cases are already doing to address this"
Rosie Boycott, Mayor of London's food adviser
"Sadly living in London is a postcode lottery for the vulnerable about whether their local authority provides adequate support to help its citizens who may be in food poverty. I hope that by next year's report we see an improvement across the board in local authorities commitments to these key initiatives that are in their control."
Caroline Reilly, Living Wage Foundation Programme Manager responds,
"Our accredited local authorities have the Living Wage firmly on their agenda as a measure to tackle working poverty. Most authorities have been going above and beyond the required commitment (of paying this to all direct and contracted staff). We have been thrilled to see that typically their leadership doesn't stop at accredition and they are pro-actively promoting the Living Wage as a better benchmark by engaging local businesses too.
Earlier this year, an example of this came from Brent Council who introduced a Living Wage incentive scheme, offering discounts to attract more accredited Living Wage employers to join them in the area. Their efforts are not only helping to ensure that the Living Wage is a reality for council workers, but that it can benefit more people in the wider community too."
The full report in detail is available at www.sustainweb.org/publications/london_food_poverty_profile_2015/.
For more information, please contact Hannah Laurison at hannah@sustainweb.org or 02070650902.