Food banks are not the solution: a right to food

Food banks are not the solution, a right to food is needed.

Is the right to food, not a basic human right? Many people in the UK starve themselves as they struggle to pay their monthly bills and then food banks are suddenly being normalised for our younger generation. Is this really the path we want to go?

While the UK is one of the richest countries in the world, its food poverty rate still seems to be among the highest in Europe. Millions of people experience food insecurity in their households and are forced to skip meals, eat unhealthy food or eat less. Most of them are either single parents, black, Asian or just people with lower incomes. The UK household food insecurity is not due to physical food shortages in the country. Rather, it's because individuals do not have enough money to support their meals from work or welfare income. Through the period 3rd to 14th November 2021, about 17% of adults have reported difficulty in paying their last month's energy and household bills. The numbers have now reached way higher compared to a year ago. From 16th to 27th March 2022, higher energy and housing costs have resulted in 23% of adults finding it hard to pay their bills. The main cause for this, is gas and electricity, food and fuel prices drastically increasing. The unhealthiest food is the cheapest, so people with lower income would have to buy little nutritional valued food, unfortunately. Buying frozen or unhealthy food doesn't necessarily come from ignorance but is a matter of not having the money to afford healthy food. People are prioritizing things such as electricity and heating over food.