MPs call for ‘right to food’ to be put into law and new Minister for Food Security post

The government should create a new “minister for food security” and enshrine the right to food into law, MPs have said.

Parliament’s cross-party environment food and rural affairs committee said the response to the Covid pandemic had “set a precedent” that there was a duty to ensure people were well-fed.

The MPs say 5.9 million adults in the UK experienced food poverty in the six months prior to February 2021 and that 1.7 million children live in households that are food insecure.

Food insecurity has shot up the political agenda in recent years, alongside the growth of the food banks that have sprung up to mitigate problems the campaigns link to the government’s welfare reforms.

Last year ministers were forced by footballer Marcus Rashford to U-turn on a decision not to run a school meals voucher scheme during the holiday.

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And there was further discontent on social media after pictures emerged of parcels distributed under the scheme that were judged to be insufficient.

Supermarket shortages in the early stages of the pandemic and a growth in home deliveries for those self-isolating have also featured.

The report that ministers consult on how the right to food could be introduced in England, says families with children on free school meals should be ensured food at home, and says lessons must be learned from “unacceptable” food parcels provided during the pandemic.

It also urges retailers where possible to remove minimum spends and delivery charges to ensure access to food.

Committee chairman Neil Parish said: “During the Covid crisis, different government departments pulled together to make sure that the most vulnerable in our society were fed. This should set a precedent.

Mr Parish added: “The Government must now learn lessons from the pandemic, using the teething problems it encountered in distributing food to ensure that, in ‘normal times’, disadvantaged groups – such as those without internet access – do not slip between the cracks.”

A government spokesman said: “The pandemic has proven that the UK has a large, diverse and highly resilient food supply chain that has coped well in responding to unprecedented challenges – and we will review the recommendations set out within this report and respond accordingly”.

“Since March last year, we have spent more than £280bn to deliver an impressive package of economic and welfare support to protect and support the incomes and needs of families and children – and we continue to work closely with the food industry to ensure people across the country have the food and supplies they need.”