Warning that food insecurity could become a long-term issue for people living in Cornwall
Health officials in the Duchy say it has been highlighted by the pandemic
A new report has warned that food insecurity could be a long-term issue for people living in Cornwall.
Cornwall Council’s health and wellbeing board is set to consider a report on food insecurity and poverty when it meets this week.
The report, written by Cornwall’s director of public health Rachel Wrigglesworth and public health practitioner Matt Sharp, says that the Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted that food insecurity is a “critical issue” in society.
More people are having to rely on food banks and community food schemes in Cornwall while the number of children claiming free school meals has also increased.
A Food Insecurity Group has been set up and the report states that it “must now look beyond Covid and work in the knowledge that food insecurity is (and will be) an issue in Cornwall for some time, therefore will form part of the business as usual function of the council”.
The report explains that food security is defined as “when all people at all times have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life”.
But it states that the opposite – food insecurity – “is a reality for many” and that the number of households experiencing it is on the rise.
However the report notes that while a number of UK measures have been added to local and national surveys to quantify the level of food insecurity “there is no single, reliable measure to enable local authority directors of public health to quantify and benchmark the level of need and risk in their particular area”.
Cornwall Council was given £679,000 from DEFRA to support those people experiencing food insecurity because of covid.
This allowed the Food Insecurity Group to be set up and a grant scheme was started to provide support to community food groups which had been created all over Cornwall.
Groups could apply for up to £25,000 per application and a maximum of two applications per group. The money could be used for both revenue and capital expenditure.
So far, the report states, £659,000 has been allocated to more than 60 community food groups in Cornwall with the money being spent on food, storage, delivery vans, freezers and volunteer expenses.
The Food Insecurity Group has also set up the Cornwall Food Access Alliance with the Voluntary Sector Forum which is bringing together the community food sector.
In the report it is also highlighted that schemes such as free school meals and the Covid winter grant scheme had also provided support for those in need.
Prior to Covid-19 there were more than 11,500 children in Cornwall claiming free school meals and by January 2021 this had risen to more than 14,000. This represents 15.7% of primary age children and 14.4% of secondary school children – higher than the south west average.
The Covid winter grant scheme was aimed to provide help for food, energy and water bills and other essentials.
Cornwall Council was provided with £2.4million from the Government with 80% going to households with children.
The scheme ended this month and was aiming to provide financial help to households facing financial hardship due to Covid whether due to job losses or household finances being stretched as people spent more time at home during lockdown.
The report states: “Over £1m of this funding has now been allocated towards food, home energy and other essentials including funding the Christmas holiday period and February Half Term free school meals voucher system.”
The health and wellbeing board will consider the report when it meets on Thursday (April 22nd).