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Poverty: Food Costs

01 March 2023

Lead MP

Lee Anderson
Ashfield
Reform

Responding Minister

Mark Spencer

Tags

EducationUkraineEnergyBenefits & Welfare
Word Count: 9391
Other Contributors: 10

At a Glance

Lee Anderson raised concerns about poverty: food costs in Westminster Hall. A government minister responded.

Key Requests to Government:

Mr Anderson urged for a better understanding of poverty and advocated for teaching people budgeting skills and cooking from scratch as an alternative to providing handouts. He called for a proper food strategy in the UK to address the issues of obesity and reliance on junk food among deprived communities, suggesting that such strategies could help break the cycle of dependency.

How the Debate Unfolded

MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said:

Lead Contributor

Ashfield
Opened the debate
Mr Lee Anderson expressed concerns about the paradox of food waste and hunger in the UK. He cited statistics indicating that the world produces enough food to feed 10 billion people, yet there is a reported increase in food bank use and obesity rates. Mr Anderson highlighted that the UK wastes around 10 million tonnes of food annually while households alone throw away about £13.8 billion worth of edible food per year. He also mentioned the issue of parents being unable to feed their children at home due to financial constraints, despite having access to universal credit benefits.

Government Response

Mark Spencer
Government Response
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Dowd. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Ashfield (Lee Anderson) on securing the debate. High food prices are a result of many different factors, including agrifood import prices, domestic agricultural prices, domestic labour and manufacturing costs, the exchange rate for sterling—and not least, of course, Putin's illegal war in Ukraine and the aftershocks of the pandemic, which are having a global impact, with food prices rising at home and abroad. Other countries are experiencing high food price inflation, with 16% being recorded in the euro area in December last year. Rising food prices are a big contributor to the high levels of inflation that people are currently experiencing. However, we have seen a slight fall in the official food price inflation figures for January. We will continue to watch and monitor the situation as food price inflation continues to move around. Given the impact of high food prices, tackling inflation is the Government's No. 1 priority. We plan to more than halve inflation this year, and we are monitoring all key agricultural commodities so that we can work with the food industry to address the challenges that it faces. Low-income households are most affected by high food and energy prices, which is why we have provided a package of support to help people with rising food costs. The Government have already committed £37 billion to support households with the current exceptionally high cost of living, £1 billion of which has gone towards help with the cost of household essentials. Looking forward to April, the Government will uprate benefit rates and the state pension by 10.1%. The benefit cap levels will increase by the same amount in order to increase the number of households that can benefit from these uprating decisions. In addition, for 2023-24, households on eligible means-tested benefits will get up to £900 in cost of living payments, which will be split in three payments of about £300 across the 2023-24 financial year. A separate £300 payment will be made to pensioner households on top of their winter fuel payment, and individuals in receipt of eligible disability benefit will receive a £150 payment. The Government spend around £1 billion annually on free school meals, and protections are in place to ensure that eligible pupils keep their free school meal entitlement even if their household circumstances change. The end date for that has now been extended to March 2025. We continue to work with food retailers and producers to explore a range of measures that they can take to ensure the availability and affordability of food. In effect, we are trying to ensure that nature works hand in hand with those who produce food. We will spend £2.4 billion of taxpayers' money every year in this Parliament. If we fall short and spend only £2.3 billion this year, we will roll that forward and spend £2.5 billion next year.
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About Westminster Hall Debates

Westminster Hall debates are a chance for MPs to raise important issues affecting their constituents and get a response from a government minister. Unlike Prime Minister's Questions, these debates are more in-depth and collaborative. The MP who secured the debate speaks first, other MPs can contribute, and a minister responds with the government's position.