One in three families in Liverpool are skipping meals

The Childhood Trust poverty charity is pushing for an urgent review into the scale and severity of child food poverty - as measures aimed at tackling the cost-of-living crisis don't go far enough.

One in three families across Liverpool are being described as 'food insecure'. Food insecurity is defined by the United Nations as when a person lacks regular access to enough safe and nutritious food for normal growth and development and an active and healthy life.

This comes as the cost of living is continuing to bite, and more families are having to make tough financial decisions to feed their children.

Dr Naomi Maynard from Feeding Liverpool tells us the requirement for free school meals needs to be more accessible: " There is a whole raft of children who don't qualify for free school meals because their household income isn't low enough. Yet they're having to take less in their packed lunch boxes, not being able to afford as much when they go up to the counter in secondary school for a meal. Really reducing what they are eating at the moment."

She also told us: "We know people are having to make difficult choices at the moment. That's impacting young people. It has a mental health impact as well as a physical health impact because when you are aware that your family is struggling to put enough food on the table or is really worried about bills or are not switching the heating on - it can have a short or longer term mental health impact."

To find out how you access support from Feeding Liverpool, you can visit: www.feedingliverpool.org