Young people are struggling to find and afford nutritious food outside of home or school, according to a new report by children’s charity Barnado’s and the Co-op Group.
Co-designed by a team of young people, the report is based on a survey of more than 45,000 young people aged 9-25, conducted through focus groups, surveys and classroom consultations.
As part of this, VotesforSchools carried out research, which revealed that nearly a quarter of secondary- and college-aged students (23%) find it hard to access healthy food choices in their community, as cost of living challenges impact their traditional routes to food such as home or school.
“Listening to young people in the focus groups was heartbreaking,” said 21-year-old homeless person, Kyson, who was closely involved in the report’s production. “I’ve struggled with access to food since becoming homeless aged 18, but to hear people as young as 13 talking about it was eye-opening.”
Young people surveyed mentioned a range of barriers to access, including the location of food shops, a lack of ethical options, and a perceived hostility towards young people in community spaces.
Another barrier they highlighted is the affordability of nutritious food, echoing previous research from the Group and Barnardo’s which found that 35% of young people live in homes which are struggling, or have struggled, to pay for or access food.
The report found that food insecurity is highest in families where the head of the household is aged 16-24 – with 2 in 10 younger households classed as ‘food insecure’, compared to one in 10 of households for all ages.
Around three-quarters (79%) of Group members aged 16-25 also confessed to having skipped a meal due to money being tight, with one saying: “As a young adult with a child, I’ve had to skip so many meals just to make sure my daughter is fed.”
Based on these findings, the report make six key recommendations for policymakers, local authorities, and retailers to help overcome these challenges – including establishing local food partnerships, expanding retail discount schemes to young people, and addressing holiday hunger when the government’s HAF scheme ends in March 2025.
The report was launched during a fringe event at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool.
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Rebecca Birkbeck, director of community and embership participation at the Group, said: “At Co-op, we believe that young people’s voices must be at the heart of shaping the solutions to the challenges they face. This is something our Co-op member-owners care about and co-operating to fix it is crucial.
“Together with Barnardo’s, we’re committed to raising £5m to support positive futures for 750,000 young people across the UK and securing access to food and learning how to cook it is a key issue which has come up again and again.”
“Change only happens when we work together,” said Kyson. “If the government can learn from that and start working with young people, with businesses and organisations – just like Co-op and Barnardo’s are doing – that’s when we’ll really start to make a difference.”
“Too many young people are simply not getting the food they need when they need it,” said Barnardo’s CEO Lynn Perry. “We know change is needed so that families can afford to put healthy meals on the table, and to make sure children are eating well at school, but on top of this, our new research finds that much more needs to be done in communities.
“Through our partnership with Co-op, we’re working with young people to make their voices heard. Together, we are calling on policymakers, local authorities, and businesses to take urgent action to ensure that no child goes hungry, and everyone gets the nutrients they need to grow and thrive.”
