UK gov’t urged to add ‘household food insecurity’ to Agriculture Bill
The Agriculture Bill is currently going through the UK Parliament. In the drafted version, the government is legally required to measure and report on ‘food security’.
This provision focuses on global food availability; where the food comes from; the resilience of the supply chain; data on household food expenditure, food safety and consumer confidence.
The provision does not focus on ‘household food security’, which has prompted MPs and not-for-profits to lobby for its inclusion in the Bill.
Labour MP for South Shields, Emma Lewell-Buck, has led a proposal seeking including of ‘household food security’ within the definition of ‘food security’ in Clause 17 of the Bill. Already, 16 other MPs have supported the amendment.
According to London think tank the Food Foundation, “adding three words to the Agriculture Bill will help parliament to monitor household food insecurity”.
For the not-for-profit’s chief executive Anna Taylor, the problem of food insecurity in the UK has been overlooked ‘for too long’.
“It leaves life-long scars on healthy and wellbeing. Now we have a chance to ensure parliament receives regular reports on the scale of the challenge so measures can be put in place to tackle it.
“This is a real opportunity to begin the end of the scourge on our society.”
Image: Getty/Ja'Crispy
