Expanding free school meals criteria could reduce hunger and stigma

Children not eligible for free school meals (FSM) are going hungry, according to a study which has led to calls for the criteria to be widened.

Researchers from the University of York and the Bradford Institute for Health Research found that 20% of children surveyed did not fit the criteria for FSM but still experienced food insecurity.

Children allowed to have FSM were found to suffer from the stigma associated with being in poverty which affected their mental health as they also grapple with food insecurity at home.

Dr Tiffany Yang, Principal Research Fellow at the Bradford Institute for Health Research and Visiting Research Fellow at the University of York, said: ‘Our study suggests that the benchmark to qualify for Free School Meals is too low, and misses a significant number of children; these children may not meet the strict income eligibility to qualify for Free School Meals, but they still face food insecurities in low-income households.

‘If this eligibility threshold was raised, then not only would it shake the stigma of Free School Meals being associated with poverty, it would mean fewer children overall would go hungry and fewer children would experience anxiety and stress on a daily basis.’

Using data from the Food Foundation and surveys carried out by ChildWise, researchers found that the number of children eligible for FSM surged to 19.7% of state-funded pupils in 2021, up from 17.3% in 2020.

Bob Doherty, Professor of Marketing and Dean of the School for Business and Society, and Principal Investigator of the FixOurFood project, said: ‘We found that 35 per cent of children surveyed experienced food insecurities.

‘Of the number of children that received FSM, 60 per cent reported food insecurities, which was related to feeling hunger from not having enough food at home. On top of this 51 per cent felt stressed and worried on a daily basis, largely due to the stigma attached to having to access free meals and other poverty-related issues.’

29% of the children who did not qualify for FSM but experienced food insecurity, were at a higher risk of feeling stressed or worried on a daily basis.

Teaching unions and other organisations wrote to Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi back in May requesting more access to FSM for vulnerable children.

In related news, nearly a quarter of UK adults (23%) found it difficult to pay their household bills in April compared to last year, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). 

Photo by CDC