Dowler, Elizabeth, 1951- (2008) Poverty, food and nutrition. In: Strelitz, Jason and Lister, Ruth, (eds.) Why money matters : family income, poverty and children’s lives. London: Save the Children, pp. 34-43. ISBN 9781841871172

Abstract

This chapter examines the relationship between household income, deprivation and children’s experience of food in the UK. It includes evidence from surveys of children’s dietary patterns and intakes of nutrients, and briefly discusses the health consequences of these observations. But food is more than a 'bundle of nutrients' ; what we eat says a great deal about who we are, how we like to live, and what we value. These aspects are true for children too, though there are fewer research studies that capture what British children think about food these days. There is a great deal of anxiety at present about what children and young people are eating, at home and at school. The School Food Trust in England, and the reports Hungry for Success in Scotland, Food and Fitness in Wales, and Fit Futures in Northern Ireland, address some of these concerns, while recognising the scale of the problem. Parents, academics and civil society have put pressure on governments to address TV and other advertising of ‘unhealthy’ food. There are calls for better food provision in nurseries. It is recognised that things are likely to be worse for poorer children, though many blame parents for not maintaining more care over what their children eat.

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