Recommendations & Conclusions
4 items
10
Conclusion
First Report - COVID-19 and food supply
Not Addressed
With the need to quickly provide children with a substitute for free school meals after schools closed, the Department for Education (DfE) designed a national voucher system. The speed with which it was set up was commendable and some teething problems were inevitable. However, the system has been beset by …
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With the need to quickly provide children with a substitute for free school meals after schools closed, the Department for Education (DfE) designed a national voucher system. The speed with which it was set up was commendable and some teething problems were inevitable. However, the system has been beset by significant problems, ultimately leading to about a third of children experiencing greater food 48 COVID-19 and food supply insecurity in the first month. A particular problem was the Government’s immediate reliance on the larger retailers to participate in the scheme, with discounters and convenience stores excluded for technical reasons, even when they were able to offer workable voucher schemes which would have helped more children. There was a need for closer collaboration on the part of both Government and retailers. The Government did not sufficiently consider the realities of where families dependent on free school meals were most likely to shop for food. We note that vouchers can be used during school holidays. Children in poverty are particularly vulnerable to experiencing insufficient nutritious food during the school holidays, so it is important such schemes have universal reach. Penalising some schools that use voucher systems outside the problematic national scheme ignores the fact that the ultimate priority, as recognised by those schools, should be keeping children fed. Although more retailers were added to the scheme, we consider that this took too long. We are disappointed at the apparent lack of willingness to quickly adapt the scheme in response to the issues that emerged.
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Government response AI summary
The government response largely reiterates the committee's conclusion regarding the issues with the national free school meal voucher system, without providing the government's own assessment or actions taken in response to these criticisms.
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Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs
11
Recommendation
First Report - COVID-19 and food supply
Not Addressed
The Government should now be more flexible and recognise the importance and success of most community-led responses to the provision of free school meal substitutes. Schools should be allowed to provide vouchers for whichever retailers serve their community best, without financial penalty. In addition, schools should be encouraged to continue …
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The Government should now be more flexible and recognise the importance and success of most community-led responses to the provision of free school meal substitutes. Schools should be allowed to provide vouchers for whichever retailers serve their community best, without financial penalty. In addition, schools should be encouraged to continue catering directly for their pupils without being put in a financially worse situation than those using the national voucher scheme.
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Government response AI summary
The government response largely reiterates the committee's observations about the problems with the national free school meal voucher system, but does not directly address the recommendation for greater flexibility, allowing schools to choose retailers, or encouraging direct catering without penalty.
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Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs
13
Recommendation
First Report - COVID-19 and food supply
Not Addressed
One of the key questions for our inquiry was what the COVID-19 pandemic had shown about our food system, not just in terms of food supply, but also demand. There are clearly millions of people whose ability to afford sufficient, nutritious food has been severely disrupted or worsened. Lessons must …
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One of the key questions for our inquiry was what the COVID-19 pandemic had shown about our food system, not just in terms of food supply, but also demand. There are clearly millions of people whose ability to afford sufficient, nutritious food has been severely disrupted or worsened. Lessons must be learnt from the experience in all four nations on how best to avoid and respond to food insecurity. We are very concerned that this situation will be exacerbated as the economic impacts of the pandemic continue to unfold. We are aware that a combination of ending furlough and a potential second wave of coronavirus may conspire to make the level and severity of food insecurity significantly higher. Therefore, the Government urgently needs a sustainable plan to mitigate the possible growth of food insecurity through a combination of financial and food supply strategies. Following the publication of the National Food Strategy, we recommend that the Government consults on whether a “Right to Food” should be given a legislative footing to ensure the Government has a reference point for action to tackle and measure food insecurity, with the flexibility to meet that commitment using different measures. Following the publication of the National Food Strategy, we recommend that the Government consults on whether a COVID-19 and food supply 49 “Right to Food” should be given a legislative footing to ensure the Government has a reference point for action to tackle and measure food insecurity, with the flexibility to meet that commitment using different measures. This should happen as a matter of great urgency, in anticipation of increasing challenges to the food security of the nation post-COVID-19.
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Government response AI summary
The government agrees on the importance of addressing food insecurity, highlighting existing welfare support and funding for charities, and committing to continued inter-departmental and inter-nation collaboration. However, the response does not address the recommendation to consult on whether a “Right to Food” should be given …
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Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs
24
Recommendation
First Report - COVID-19 and food supply
Not Addressed
It is clear that before the pandemic, many people were already unable to have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that met their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life. This was evidenced by the already-increasing demand for food banks over the …
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It is clear that before the pandemic, many people were already unable to have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that met their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life. This was evidenced by the already-increasing demand for food banks over the past decade. The pandemic exacerbated these existing food insecurities and we have heard warnings that the situation is likely to worsen. Going to back to the pre-pandemic “normal” will not be good enough. The National Food Strategy must address national and personal food security and the Government must show clearer leadership on tackling the causes of insecurity. The Government must respond to the National Food Strategy within six months of its publication, as it has promised, including clear proposals for tackling food insecurity. This response should also set out what the immediate priorities for a Minister for Food Security should be.
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Government response AI summary
The government response outlines past financial support and welfare measures during the pandemic but does not address the recommendation's specific calls for a response to the National Food Strategy or setting priorities for a Minister for Food Security.
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Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs