One-third of children in London are “going to bed hungry”, says new report

Yesterday, the London Food Board –  an advisory group of independent food policy organisations and experts which oversees the implementation of The Mayor’s food strategy and leads the debate on sustainable food issues in the capital – and the pollsters Ipsos Mori issued a rather disturbing report which showed that a third of children in London have trouble paying attention at school because they feel hungry.

The report, Child Hunger in London – Understanding Food Poverty in the Capital, also found that 55% of parents surveyed (500 from all income levels across the city, along with 500 children) have seen their ability to afford food worsen over the past year, compared with just 7% who have seen it improve. For many kids, their school lunch is their biggest, or worse, first or even only meal of the day.

The report was commissioned by my colleague Rosie Boycott, who chairs the London Food Board, and she says that this situation is unacceptable. I agree, which is why the team here at The Mayor’s Fund for London is working with the charity Magic Breakfast to create breakfast clubs for 5,000 children in London’s most deprived boroughs.

Next month we’ll be launching a big initiative around this very theme, so please stay tuned to this blog over the coming couple of weeks for news on that.

Meanwhile, you can read the full story on the report here: http://bit.ly/19ddvjK