Let Them Eat Cake!

Many children, in poor UK families, rely on free school meals, to get a decent diet. What happens to these kids over the extended Summer holiday? The 'cost of living crisis', has stimulated government to run a 'Help for Households' campaign. This campaign advises struggling families to make full use of discounted supermarket menus over the Summer period (https://www.theguardian.com/food/2022/jul/24/children-junk-food-holidays-uk-government-campaign-supermarket-deals). These 'meal deals' include offers like 'kids eat for £1' and 'kids eat for free' (so long as they are accompanied by a paying adult). Unlike UK school meals, however, supermarket menus are not regulated to ensure they are providing healthy food. Nutritionists point out that, UK supermarket cafe menus, include lots of ultraprocessed foods. Standard fare includes chicken nuggets, fish fingers and sausages. Chips (French fries) feature in many these meals but vegetables (perhaps only occasional peas?) are a rarity. Fruit is also highly unusual in supermarket 'meal deals'. Ultraprocessed/starchy foods have been linked to obesity (we have a 'childhood epidemic' of this condition, in the UK), type 2 diabetes and cancers. Eating such food essentially 'stores up' expensive health problems for the NHS. This government advice wouldn't even result in all hungry children getting a hot meal (healthy or not). Many poor families will not have easy access (in walking distance) to a large supermarket with eating facilities and 'meal deals'. The supermarket menus also don't cater effectively for children with food allergies or who are vegan. A rich country, like the UK, ought to be able to treat its children better over the Summer 'vacation'!