New report urges government to tackle rising food poverty among children under five, warns of long-term impact on health and education

A new report published today (28 November) by the Education Policy Institute (EPI), funded by the KPMG Foundation, investigates food poverty in the early years. The research interrogates the effectiveness of national policies already in place, as well exploring what can be learnt from local place-based initiatives and from what other countries are doing.

The report recommends that the government’s upcoming Child Poverty Strategy should have a focus on food poverty experienced by children under five.

The report finds that food poverty rates are higher for families with children under five, compared to families with older children.

The Food Foundation’s latest estimate for children of different ages shows that almost a quarter (24 per cent) of households with children under four years were experiencing food poverty in January 2024 – compared to 19 per cent of households with older children.

Food poverty is particularly damaging in the early years, says the EPI. The first five years of a child’s life are a significant period of development and are also important for outcomes in later life. Food poverty experienced by under-fives is associated with worse physical health – including obesity and tooth decay – as well as worse mental health and behavioural outcomes.

EPI also stated that food poverty is detrimental to education, as it is associated with worse cognitive development, maths and vocabulary skills.

It is a problem of income poverty. The cost of living has increased steeply over the last few years, affecting food prices in particular, which has impacted low-income households more.

Real wages have stagnated and changes to social security benefits have seen the levels of benefit payments decline. Universal Credit payments are not adequate to afford essentials including healthy food, and the two-child limit and benefit cap have reduced incomes for families with children.

EPI stated that the NHS’ Healthy Start Scheme does not do enough to support children experiencing food poverty. Evidence shows this scheme has the potential to make a positive difference in young children’s access to healthy food, but the payment amounts have not kept pace with inflation which undermines this goal. The restrictive criteria also potentially excludes many children experiencing food poverty.

There is unequal access to free meals in early years settings, according to EPI’s research. Currently, only children who attend maintained nurseries and school-based nurseries are eligible for free meals if they meet the income and benefits-based eligibility criteria and the child attends before and after lunch.

The majority of children attend other types of early years settings which are not required to provide free meals for low-income children. Even in the settings where free meals should be available, there is a lack of awareness of the policy, and the restrictions can make it inaccessible in practice.

The government is due to publish a child poverty strategy in Spring 2025, which EPI recommends should include a focus on food poverty experienced by families with children under five.

The institute said abolishing the two-child limit and the benefit cap as well as introducing an Essentials Guarantee, as advocated for by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and Trussell, would ensure that families on social security benefits have sufficient income to meet all basic needs.

EPI recommends that the government should consider increasing the value of the Healthy Start Scheme and review it after every six months to ensure it keeps pace with inflation. They should also expand eligibility and improve the uptake of the scheme, ideally moving towards an autoenrollment system.

The government should work towards universal free meals in early years settings whilst supporting the sector to be able to implement this, according to the EPI. The institute said the government should improve the existing free early years meals (FEYM) programme, promoting awareness amongst parents and early years professionals, removing restrictive criteria and increasing the scope beyond maintained settings.

EPI said the government should also further support local authorities to provide tailored solutions to food poverty based on local needs. The institute recommends that the central government provides regular and sustainable funding for all English local authorities to set up their own Food Poverty Alliances and Food Poverty Plans, including the views of those affected by food poverty.

Dr Kerris Cooper, senior researcher in early years and inequalities at the Education Policy Institute said: “This research highlights the urgency of addressing food poverty for children under five. We know that the first five years is a critical period of development, yet we also know that children of this age are more likely to experience food poverty.

“The evidence is clear on how damaging food poverty is for young children’s outcomes. For the government to achieve its mission of breaking down barriers to opportunity it needs to take action to reduce food poverty for under-fives.

We have an opportunity with the upcoming child poverty strategy to address the disadvantage faced by the youngest children who have been overlooked in food poverty policy and debate.”