Dietitians see the consequences of child poverty every day - in hunger, malnutrition, poor growth and widening health inequalities. As the Government publishes its Child Poverty Strategy, the BDA is setting out the work we’re doing to confront these challenges and what must happen next.
On the 5th of December, the UK Government launched its long-awaited Child Poverty Strategy, developed by the Child Poverty Taskforce and the Cabinet Office’s Child Poverty Unit. It promises a 10-year plan to address the structural causes of child poverty, drawing on input from across government and from families with lived experience.
The strategy brings together existing policies and a set of new measures aimed at increasing family incomes, reducing essential living costs and strengthening local services. It also sets out a framework for monitoring progress throughout this Parliament and beyond. Crucially, the strategy is UK-wide, with the Government stating it will deliver for children across all four nations.
As part of the coalition involved in the No Child Left Behind Campaign, the BDA contributed to the joint submission to the Child Poverty Taskforce, we said:
‘Dietitians, as Allied Health Professionals, already play a crucial role in supporting schools to develop and maintain high-quality, nutritious meal programmes. They provide expertise in menu planning, ensuring that school meals meet nutritional standards while remaining appealing and culturally appropriate for diverse student populations. Dietitians also support school catering teams by delivering training on food preparation, portion control and the importance of balanced meals. Encouraging joint working and collaboration between dietitians and school catering teams ensures that children receive a nutritionally dense meal once per day.’
Among the commitments in the Child Poverty Strategy there was:
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the expansion of free school meals in England to all children in households in receipt of Universal Credit,
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the roll out of free breakfast clubs in England, to support parents to boost their working hours.
Although we welcome these, we know that means tested policies will always leave children behind. The BDA’s Free School Meal Campaign working group recently launched ‘Nourish Every Child: A dietetic vision for universal free school meals in primary schools, this comprehensive resource details the latest insights and evidence on the power of universal free school meals - children consume around one-third of their diet at school, making school meals one of the biggest nutritional interventions in the UK, and we know they work.
Child poverty in the UK is increasing, 4.5 million (31%) of children live in poverty and as child poverty increases, so does food insecurity. As of January 2025, nearly one in five households with children reported that their children were experiencing food insecurity directly. This does not just relate to worrying about food, it means children and parents going without meals and portions being reduced, and when families do eat, the quality and variety of food is based on what is affordable and filling, not what is most nutritious and balanced. Yet, despite this clear need, according to the Child Poverty Action Group around 900,000 children living in poverty do not meet the eligibility criteria for free school meals.
Even with the uplift of eligibility criteria in England, the full benefits of this expansion will only be seen if all entitled children are signed up to receive their free school meal. This is why the Food Foundation is calling for free school meal auto-enrolment in England, that guarantees access for children and removes the burden from local authorities, schools and parents.
Our own key campaign ask reflects this:
Nations across the UK should commit to making free school meals universal for all children in primary school.
Governments across all four nations should commit to making free school meals a universal entitlement, not a means tested benefit. Just as education and healthcare are rights, a nutritious school meal should be a guaranteed part of the school day for every child. This would involve learning from regions in the UK where this is already a reality by adequately resourcing local authorities and in turn schools and catering teams to upgrade their infrastructure.
The Child Poverty Strategy sets direction - but progress depends on delivery. Dietitians can help make it real.
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use the Political Engagement Toolkit to contact MPs and raise child nutrition concerns
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promote Free School Meal access in practice, schools and communities
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Join our Free School Meals Campaign group – in 2026 we’re going to focus on school food quality as well as expanding access. Get in touch: [email protected]
Small actions, repeated across the profession, will help ensure this strategy improves children’s nutrition as well as household income.
See the latest edition of Dietetics Today for more on Free School Meals: Latest issue and archive - BDA
