Upset from Harrogate parents over food parcels for children
Parents have been sharing images of the substandard food packages they've been given to last the week
Last updated 12th Jan 2021
Parents across Harrogate have been sharing their concerns over the amount of food given to them to last their children for the week.
Packages have included two sandwiches, a few pieces of fruit and ingredients which are out of date.
Katie Newton was given a parcel for her nine-year-old son. It included two ready-made sandwiches, two potatoes, a bag of cheese, two yoghurts and two pieces of fruit.
She said: "I would have at least expected five sandwiches to last the school week, or the ingredients to make five sandwiches.
"Things go out of date so they need to be eaten straight away. I would expect a sandwich, a piece of fruit, a yoghurt and something extra for every day. I shouldn't have to try and split this for the week.
"School dinners equate to ÂŁ2.20 per meal that's ÂŁ11 a week and for what we've been given it's probably cost about ÂŁ2.50 for the week. Not even that."
The food parcels families have been given are meant to feed a child at lunchtime for between five and seven days.
Some parents with multiple children have been given food which is out of date.
Nadine cares for her two granddaughters and she was given bread which was out of date, slices of cheese and soggy potatoes and cucumber.
She said: "For each child I got a loaf of brown bread. Not many children eat brown bread and my girls certainly don't.
"They were dated for the 29th of January so they've obviously been frozen but I can't now refreeze them.
"Most of what I was given I've had to throw out. The cucumber was soggy and so were the potatoes. They went straight in the bin.
"I would've expected something more substantial. Sausage and eggs and bread that isn't out of date to be honest."
Nadine originally got free school meal vouchers during the previous lockdowns, but she doesn't understand why she hasn't got them this time.
"The free school meal vouchers were great. We got ÂŁ15 per child to spend in the supermarket and I could get things which I know the girls like.
"But last night when the teacher dropped off the parcel I was insulted. You cannot feed two young children for the week with the amount of food we got.
"My children aren't good at concentrating at the best of times and this is a very difficult time for us so to be sent something like this it's just an insult. It's against everything we're trying to do."
Lily Worth from Ripon has praised her son's school for what she received in her parcel.
In her tweet, she said: "I couldn't have asked for a better mixed variety of food!"
Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones has shared his disgust at some of the parcels provided.
Mr Jones was contacted by a constituent in Knaresborough who told him that she had received two pre-packed sandwiches, two mini yoghurts, an apple, an orange and two potatoes to feed her son for five days.
“This simply isn’t good enough,” Mr Jones commented. “There are reports that the companies distributing this food have been paid £30 for a week’s food but you could buy what my constituent received for a few pounds. Fortunately my constituent can manage this week but that isn’t the point.
“Surely it would have been better and cheaper to give parents a loaf of bread and the ingredients to make their own sandwiches rather than send supermarket pre-packs? It would have been more nutritious too. What has been sent seems to me to be completely inadequate. Whichever companies are being used to supply the meals need to buck their ideas up and do it pronto.”
Footballer Marcus Rashford, who campaigned for free school meals to be extended throughout the school holidays, has shared his disgust at some of the meals families have been given.
The Department of Education responded to the tweet, stating: "We are looking into this.
"We have clear guidelines and standards for food parcels, which we expect to be followed. Parcels should be nutritious and contain a varied range of food."
The Children's Minister also responded to the Department for Education's tweet:
Charwells UK are one of the main contractors providing the food parcels to families during lockdown. They responded to a tweet from a parent showing the food she was given.
They said: "Thank you for bringing this to our attention, this does not reflect the specification of one of our hampers.
"We will investigate immediately."