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Marcus Rashford has criticized the free school meal packages that are sent to some children and families learning from home.
The packages, which were sent to children who would normally qualify for free school meals and are now learning remotely during the national shutdown, have been criticized online by parents.
A tweet showed a package, supposedly containing 30 pounds of food for 10 days, which included only a loaf of bread, some cheese, a can of beans, two carrots, two bananas, three apples, two potatoes, a bag of pasta, three Frubes, two Soreen bars and a tomato.
In response to another post, the Manchester United striker and anti-poverty activist tweeted: “3 days of food for 1 family … Not good enough.” In a later tweet, he added: “So imagine we expect children to learn from home. Not to mention parents who sometimes have to teach those who probably haven’t eaten anything so their kids can … WE MUST do better. This is 2021. “
Then imagine that we expect the children to learn from home. Not to mention parents who sometimes have to teach them that they probably haven’t eaten anything so their children can …
We MUST do better. This is 2021 https://t.co/mEZ6rCA1LE
– Marcus Rashford MBE (arMarcusRashford) January 11, 2021
In response, the Department of Education tweeted: “We have clear guidelines and standards for food packages, which we hope will be followed.” Children’s Minister Vicky Ford said she would “urgently” investigate the matter.
Chartwells, the company that it said provided the 10-day package, said it would investigate. It said: “Thanks for letting us know about this, this does not reflect the specification of one of our baskets.”
Keir Starmer described the situation as “a disgrace”. The Labor leader tweeted: “The images that appear online of woefully inappropriate free school lunch packages are a disgrace. Where does the money go? This needs to be classified immediately so that families do not starve because of the confinement. ”
Rashford forced the government to make a U-turn in June on providing free school meals for children during the summer holidays. A relentless social media campaign followed, earning Rashford an MBE last year.
He forced the government’s hand against child hunger once again in the fall to expand the free school meals program through subsequent school holidays. The package included a £ 170 million Covid winter grant scheme to help vulnerable families in England and an extension of the holiday activities and food program to this year’s Easter, summer and Christmas holidays.
The Department of Education said it was also looking into the matter after Rashford’s tweets: “We have clear guidelines and standards for food packages, which we hope will be followed. The packages must be nutritious and contain a variety of foods. “
But local government minister Simon Clarke, who voted against giving out vouchers to help feed children during school holidays, citing the billions the government had invested in the social welfare system during the pandemic, seemed to accusing the England star of “seeking to cause a storm on Twitter.”
Government guidelines urge schools to work with their catering teams or food vendor to provide packages to eligible students learning from home.
The guidelines state that packages should contain food rather than pre-prepared meals so that parents can prepare healthy lunches for their children. He adds that the baskets should not depend on parents having additional ingredients at home and should serve students of all diets.
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