New film highlights the reality faced by families struggling to afford food

It has been released following the news that food and drink inflation is now at 19.1 per cent.

The film by The Food Foundation features Melissa, a mother from Meriden in Solihull, who shares how soaring food prices have impacted her children, and Dr Ewan Hamnett, a GP who has been working in Birmingham for nearly 30 years. Dr Hamnett highlights how those with limited income have no choice but to eat diets which will damage their health in the longer-term, ‘significantly’ increasing costs to the NHS as a result.

The Food Foundation is calling on Government and retailers to urgently tackle this crisis and ensure everyone can eat well.

It wants retailers to:

• Do more to support access to healthy essentials as families struggle with the cost-of-living by implementing the charity’s recommendations in its Kids Food Guarantee, which includes making essentials (carbohydrate stapes and fruit and vegetables) more affordable.

And for Government to:

• Expand and strengthen nutritional safety net scheme including Free School Meals and Healthy Start.
• Decide which Government department is responsible for tackling escalating levels of food insecurity and nominate a minister to lead on addressing the problem.
• Ensure that minimum wage and benefit levels are set at values that take into account what is required for families to afford a healthy diet.