Zayn Malik adds name to growing list calling on PM to expand free school meals

Singer Malik, a new ambassador for the charity, grew up in Bradford and depended himself on free school meals.

The former member of One Direction is backing the charity’s Feed the Future campaign, and has written to Rishi Sunak calling on him to extend the threshold for free school meals to all families on universal credit.

The call comes as UK food price inflation rose to a record annual rate of 11.6 per cent in October, according to the latest monthly report from the British Retail Consortium and the data firm Nielsen.

Malik said, ‘The work the Food Foundation do to tackle child food poverty is close to my heart, as I too was one of the children in the UK that relied on programs to ensure I was able to eat,’ he said. ‘I want Government to act urgently to ensure that children no longer have to suffer the trauma and stigma of hunger and poverty and can grow up to have healthy and productive lives. I am honored to also take on the role of Ambassador to help bring vital awareness to this critical issue.

‘My long-term commitment to this work is driven by my families’ own experiences and I feel passionately that every child has a fundamental right to good food. This is a problem that we can all work together to solve.’

In his letter to the prime minister Malik said, ‘I am writing to share my concern about the struggles children are living through because of the cost-of-living crisis and to ask for your help to ensure no child living in poverty misses out on a hot nutritious meal at school especially since that school meal maybe the only hot meal they receive all day.’

According to the Food Foundation around 800,000 children in England are living in poverty and do not qualify for free school meals.

Malik said, ‘These children are suffering from lack of concentration, some even resorting to stealing food from school canteens because they are so hungry but can’t afford to buy lunch. They are also feeling shame which is directly impacting their physical and mental health. I know what that shame feels like, I have seen it first-hand, as growing up in Bradford, I relied on Free School Meals. I personally experienced the stigma surrounding food insecurity.’

Anna Taylor, the Food Foundation’s executive director, said, ‘Zayn’s music has touched the lives of many millions of people. We are thrilled to be working together on the campaign and that he is becoming an Ambassador. His own experiences as a child will resonate with many young people in Britain today whose voices go unheard.’ 

Malik is the latest in a line of well-known figures to call on the Government to expand free school meals, following footballer Marcus Rashford and chef Jamie Oliver.

Last week Iceland boss Richard Walker added his name to the list.

He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, 'Food insecurity is inevitably on the rise, and it’s the households with kids who are most at risk. If our country is to succeed long term, we have got to make sure we have a healthy, focused happy, engaged school population who have decent prospects, and that has to include vulnerable kids.’

The Food Foundation estimates the cost of providing free school meals to families who claim universal credit would be £500m a year.