When the price is not right
Published
More than a third of parents of children under four say price is a barrier to them being able to feed their child what they would like to.
In light of the government’s Child Poverty Strategy, promising to give children ‘the best start in life’, The Food Foundation is urging ministers to address food insecurity and diet related ill health, particularly in households with young children. A new report published by the charity, which included a YouGov poll of parents with children aged 1-4 years, found that:
• 84 per cent of parents say good nutrition is a key consideration when deciding what to feed their children, while 56 per cent prioritise price and affordability.
• 35 per cent thought that more affordable options would support them to feed their child the types of food they would like to.
• Support schemes for low-income families, such as Healthy Start and Free Early Years Meals (FEYM), are currently not reaching many who need them.
• Approximately 200,000 children in early years settings are eligible for child poverty support, but do not qualify for FEYM.
• Healthier foods are more than twice as expensive per calorie as less healthy foods, with healthier food increasing in price at twice the rate in the past two years.
• Of the most deprived fifth of households, those with children would need to spend an unrealistic 70 per cent of their disposable income just to afford the Eatwell Guide, the government-recommended healthy diet.
