Too many British families are hungry!

It's not a lot different these days.
For every single mum, there is a single father somewhere, going about his life, shirking his responsibilities, in some cases.

They never seem to be even considered when thinking about child poverty.
Soup is apparently more important.

MissAdventure

It's not a lot different these days.
For every single mum, there is a single father somewhere, going about his life, shirking his responsibilities, in some cases.

They never seem to be even considered when thinking about child poverty.
Soup is apparently more important.

You still going on about my soup remark? Somebody said if you have too much veg it just goes bad. I came on saying make some soup then!! better than binning it in my opinion.

I never buy too much veg 🙂
I'm excellent at managing a budget.

SeaWoozle

Primrose53

People who had a poor start in life need an “up” to work to not a “down” like many of you are implying. Progress can be made, however slow.

On another thread we were discussing our childhoods and the majority on here came from poor backgrounds, myself included.

Remember, back then there were no benefits or handouts so you HAD to work out ways to feed your families or the kids would end up in care. I lived in a road with families of 8, 10 and even 12 kids and they were poorer than us. GSM tells how she had to raise a child as a single parent but it sounds like she has done OK for herself. I was lucky enough to be married but by the time we paid bills, clothed the kids and paid for fuel to get to work in an old banger there was nothing left over. I really had to budget hard but I did it!

If people go round telling folk they shouldn’t bother making soup and why bother buying a slow cooker or a little ring to cook on when you can spend that money on unnecessary rubbish then you discourage them from trying to improve things. It is so negative.

Once again, you're twisting people's words.

Nobody is suggesting ANY of the above. Nobody is suggesting folk should just live off benefits and scr3w the state for what they can get.
I struggle to comprehend, as I always have, why ANYONE would want the people of today to "just get on with things" the way people did in the "old days'. My dad still tells the story of how he was a "War Baby" and didn't have a banana until he was five. Do you seriously want that for your grandchildren?! Outside toilets - those too maybe? And how about a touch of polio into the mix?
Yes, life was harder back then, there wasn't the support that there is now and things were tough. But WHY would you want people to struggle the same now, because that's what's implied?!
Things have progressed, allegedly improved and life has apparently become easier.
I was pretty much a single parent to 2 kids, it wasn't always easy & support was minimal (along with other issues which are nobody's business but mine) but would I want that for my kids now to "teach them a lesson" or show them "how it used to be"? Of course not.
It isn't about making soup, nor buying cheap vegetables, it's about one's capacity to follow a process from start to finish and, most of all, be able to finance it.

Not twisting anybody’s words and I definitely don’t want to go back to the old days but people do have to put some effort in and try to help themselves rather than relying totally on handouts. I well remember being the first in the Post Office queue on a Monday morning to collect my family allowance because all our money was gone after Sunday tea.

There is now more information readily available on budgeting and eating healthily than ever before. Books, pamphlets, magazines, TV and You Tube wall to wall programmes, free recipe cards in supermarkets, free courses if people look.

Even mps are able to give invaluable advice on how to feed a person for 30p a day.

MissAdventure

It's not a lot different these days.
For every single mum, there is a single father somewhere, going about his life, shirking his responsibilities, in some cases.

They never seem to be even considered when thinking about child poverty.
Soup is apparently more important.

Yes, this.

CvD66

According to Food Foundation tracker, 15% of UK households, approx 8m adults and 3m children, experienced food insecurity in January, as food prices continued to hit low-income families. (Today’s Guardian).
The report states that 60% of households bought less fruit and 44% less vegetables. Already the NHS has recorded an increase in hospital admissions for nutrition deficiency. Cancer UK has estimated there are 33,000 extra cases of cancer in UK associated with deprivation.
In contrast to this, the UK has 171 billionaires.
Is this really a country we can be proud of?

That’s 11 million people!
Food insecurity is a strange thing and isn’t necessarily hunger.
I simply don’t believe that 11 million people in the UK go hungry regularly.
Basic foodstuff from Lidl and Aldi and so many foodbanks in every town, plus cheapo goods from Poundland and charity shops means it’s never been so easy for anyone on a low income.My Nan and Mum would have been delighted to have these places on their doorstep some years ago.
Of course there are poor households, mental health cases and those on disabled benefits who have to budget, I have to budget too but there aren’t 11 million of them.Poverty levels now aren’t what poverty levels were even 30 years ago.
You ask ‘is this a country we can be proud of?’ Yet benefits here are better than many other European countries, and yeah, surprise surprise, they all have poorer households who have to budget carefully too.

But as you've just said food insecurity isnt necessarily people going hungry.

The majority of posters are treating it as if it is.

MissAdventure

But as you've just said food insecurity isnt necessarily people going hungry.

It's not.
Food insecurity is also about food shortages, the availability and supply of food.

Judging by the way farmers are protesting in the EU and in individual European countries, in Australia and how unhappy farmers are in the UK with the government, we should all be worried about food security.

How does the food arrive on the shelves of supermarkets, in food banks and community fridges?

I don't think anyone has had a serious discussion about food insecurity yet.

Oreo

I live in mid Wales. In the middle of nowhere. 10 miles from the nearest big supermarket & 20 miles from somewhere I can buy AFFORDABLE household and DIY stuff and which has more than three charity shops.
I drive. I have my own car.
In this village there are housing association houses in which non drivers live. I know this because they walk most days, rain or shine, to the very expensive "other" supermarket in the village which charges above & beyond insane prices for goods which can be bought significantly cheaper in those shops ten miles away.
We have a bus service which runs twice a day - literally there and back. That's it. If you miss it, you're stuffed.
Tell me how these people are supposed to access affordable amenities, living in a village with minimal public transport and no means of travelling to them?
It's NEVER just about a lack of food. It's about accessibility, affordability and choice.

We should not take farmers for granted, nor the availability of food.

For those at the back not listening.......

ACCESS-I-BILITY!!!

They have two buses a day to access them, you said so yourself.
Most poorer households don’t live in the middle of nowhere in any case.How do they get to work btw?How can you know all these housing association families are all non drivers?
Most poor households live in towns and cities.

SeaWoozle

For those at the back not listening.......

ACCESS-I-BILITY!!!

Rude.

I've just been looking up exactly what the term means, and causes and I'm none the wiser

It cites people who can be struck by a sudden illness, death in the family, becoming unemployed, as well as not having the basic skills, or facilities to cook/budget.

Smartphones aren't a luxury item now.

Tax system is partly to blame. Also greed.

It also mentions access. Basically it seems to be a state of not knowing if you'll be able to eat what is needed, nutritionally, next week, or next month.

Food insecurity:

People can have money but if food is not generally available for whatever reason then most people cannot buy any.

Oreo

They have two buses a day to access them, you said so yourself.
Most poorer households don’t live in the middle of nowhere in any case.How do they get to work btw?How can you know all these housing association families are all non drivers?
Most poor households live in towns and cities.

Because I speak to them and they tell me? You really think I'd make this stuff up for smartie points?!
Or maybe you just wish they were all in the workhouse. Actually, there are a few around here. I'll get them booked in.

That'll learn 'em.

🙄

Message deleted by Gransnet. Here's a link to our Talk guidelines.

All this debate about can’t cook won’t cook or whatever
Perhaps if both girls and boys were taught how to cook at school along with basic budgeting they might find things a bit easier

People seem to know exactly what poor people spend their money on, what is in their freezers, how big their TVs are, and what type of phone they use, as well as if it is on a contract or not.
So its reasonable to believe that others also may have some idea, too, of what the issues may be.