Food poverty – sadly not a thing of the past

Food poverty is real. It is a reality for over 600,000 people in Greater Manchester. It is shameful.

Action needs to be taken and today saw the launch of the Greater Manchester Food Poverty Action Plan overseen by the Greater Manchester Poverty Alliance. For more information click here

Pledges have been made by councils, third sector organisations (such as Pledge and Fareshare) and businesses (such as Kelloggs) and the Alliance is asking for further pledges including financial ones to cover the costs of someone to oversee this vital work.

I also made a pledge:

As a Registered Nutritionist with a background in working in community development, I am happy to help in any way I can. Specifically I can help with:

1)     the development of resources for schools so they can achieve the following action: Schools should teach good food on a tight budget e.g. as part of the Curriculum for Life, and where possible offer food support and education to parents as well as pupils e.g. creating recipe cards for pupils to take home

2)     providing training and support to the network of food support providers on nutrition and help the development of minimum standards. Specifically looking at providing for the service users’ nutritional needs using the lowest cost ingredients.

As a business I also commit to ensure all surplus food from the work/events I run is put to good use and where possible local providers and businesses are used to provide the goods and services needed to run my business.

I am happy to work with other organisations to achieve the above. Do get in touch if you can help or would benefit from support.

This blog has a number of previous articles about living on a budget and key skills we can teach our children about food which support the work of this vital action plan. In the coming months, more resources will be developed. Watch this space.