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Survey reveals some British pupils have been eating rubbers for not affording lunch

A new survey on food poverty in British schools due to be published next month by Chefs in Schools has brought into the open that many schools in England are already seeing a "heartbreaking" increase in hungry children, even before winter and big energy bills force more families to choose between switching on the heating and buying food. Some British pupils are so hungry that they are eating rubbers or hiding in the playground by pretending to have their meals because they cannot afford lunch.

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"No child should come to school too hungry to learn. No one can accuse this of being a "radical" statement but, in 2022, childhood hunger is a shocking reality in millions of families. We are facing the worst cost of living crisis in a generation and wages are not keeping pace with rising bills. Neither are benefits. This is hitting the most vulnerable the hardest. Latest statistics show 3.9 million children – eight in every class of 30 – are growing up in poverty. Some 2.6 million children live in households that have gone short of food in the last month," Kevin Courtney said in a video shared on the website of the British daily Mirror.