Contact Us

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.

  • 8
  • 15
Oxford Mutual Aid, a community group which delivers emergency food parcels, has had to cut its delivery days because its hundreds of volunteer packers, drivers and organisers cannot cope with the increase in requests for help, which include regular referrals from primary schools. Coordinator Muireann Meehan Speed said: "We are struggling to keep up with the demand. Every day I hear the level of distress people are in. Every day I talk to scared families who don't know where to turn. But we can't do more than we are already doing."