Tackling food poverty

Projects that help people move away from emergency food support and get access to healthy, nutritious food will be offered funding for a further year.

The £1 million a year Fair Food Fund is being continued in 2018-19 to enable existing projects to continue their work. In addition, a further £1 million over the next two years will fund new activity to support children facing food insecurity, particularly during school holidays. 

Equalities Secretary Angela Constance made the announcement on a visit to Central and West Integration Network, a Fair Food Fund supported project in Glasgow.  

Ms Constance said:

“No child should go hungry in a country as prosperous as ours. We provide free school meals for all pupils in P1-3 and for those from a low income background throughout their time at school. But it’s clear that for some families, facing a daily struggle to make ends meet, there is an issue providing nutritious food out of school terms.

“I want to address that so I’m pleased to announce we will be investing an additional £1 million over the next two year to focus specifically on supporting children in this situation.

“I am also delighted that we will continue to support existing Fair Food Fund projects for a further year. This funding is making a real difference for people, and projects like the Central and West Integration Network are delivering vital support that enables people to access meals, learn new skills, make new friends and contribute to their local community.”

Peter Taylor, Chair of Central and West Integration Network, said:

“Central and West Integration Network supports asylum seekers and refugees, migrant workers and black and minority ethnic people, and works with all communities to promote integration in the City Centre, West End of Glasgow, and beyond. Our work includes regular community meals and food distribution. 

“Many of the people we help face long term food insecurity because of their legal status.  The Fair Food Fund allows us to do more than help to meet their food needs.  It enables us to do this in a socially supportive environment where opportunities for learning, positive activities and meeting people from other communities are provided.”

Background

The Fair Food Fund aims to ensure that everyone can feed themselves and their families and reduce reliance on emergency food provision.  The fund supports community projects that offer dignified and sustainable responses to food poverty.

The Scottish Government has adopted the ‘Dignity Principles’ developed by the Independent Short Life Working Group on Food Poverty (June 2016) to inform how we direct the Fund.

The additional £1 million investment (£500,000 per year in 2018-19 and 2019-20) will be focused on supporting children who can experience increased food insecurity during school holidays.  The specific activities to be supported will be defined in consultation with key partners over the coming months.

More on the Central and West Integration Project.