In response to this week’s headlines highlighting the 14-year high of food prices, we have released the following statement:
UK inflation is at its highest since the 2008 financial crash and this is in part driven by the soaring cost of staples like milk, eggs and cheese. As a result, the food that we eat and drink every day is increasingly becoming out of reach for people in this country.
A study by the Food Foundation in February 2022, showed that food insecurity had risen to approximately 4.7 million adults, with many facing the difficult choice between heating their homes or eating.
We all know the negative health implications of either failing to meet basic nutritional needs and living in a damp cold home. These health implications will lead to more pressure on an already over worked and under resourced NHS, that is struggling to clear the backlog after Covid-19, as outlined by the Health and Social Care Select Committee's Report.
The Government needs to intervene now to drive down inflation within the UK and make sure that food is affordable and accessible to all.
A failure to do this may see the UK and NHS sleepwalking into a pandemic of hunger.
We outlined further urgent priorities for the new Prime Minister Liz Truss here.