HEALTHCARE leaders representing hundreds of thousands of doctors, nurses, midwives, dieticians and health support staff have backed a call from teachers and campaigners for more kids to get free school meals. 

The Feed the Future campaign, endorsed by the British Medical Association (BMA) and the Royal Colleges of Nursing and Midwives, is calling on Chancellor Jeremy Hunt and Education Secretary Gillian Keegan to protect young people “as the nation faces its worst cost-of-living crisis in generations.”

In today’s open letter, the campaign warns that “healthcare professionals see the impact of hunger and malnutrition in their work every day.”

The initiative has highlighted Food Foundation research that shows that a staggering four million children suffer from food poverty, while 800,000 living in households on universal credit are still missing out on meal support. 

“Many of these children have to skip lunch completely or rely on cheap, unhealthy food that is damaging to their long-term health,” the letter adds.

“We urge the UK government to act now to protect the health of the nation’s children by expanding free school meals to all children in desperate need to guarantee them a hot, nutritious meal at school, for their health, the economy and the NHS.”

BMA board of science chairman Professor David Strain said: “[New Prime Minister Rishi Sunak] has said he won’t leave the next generation with debts to settle that we are too weak to pay ourselves.

“Refusing to extend free school meals would leave a health debt that doctors will be dealing with for years to come.”

The campaign is urging people to write to their MP to demand action.