MPs are calling on the government to consult on a ‘national right to food’ and to appoint a Minister for food security. The calls come in a report by the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee (EFRA), which follows on from its Coronavirus and food supply report last summer. Disability Rights highlighted 3 key findings in the report:
- a new minister should be appointed to work across departments to ensure “that everyone and especially the most vulnerable”, have access to enough “affordable nutritious food”.
- that the Government must consult on a legal “right to food” in its White Paper responding to the National Food Strategy, due out this summer.
- supermarkets to “recognise their responsibility” to assist shielders. EFRA guidance encouraged scrapping delivery charges and minimum online spending for shielders, as well as ensuring that ‘Covid secure’ measures in-store do not exclude Disabled people.
One in ten households experienced food poverty in the past two lockdowns.