'Our voices matter and should be heard, it’s our future at stake'

Young people must be involved in political decision-making that will impact their lives. So we were delighted when some young Food Ambassadors we work with were invited to feed in to the government's new Child Poverty Strategy. Now it's been published, they share their reflections on the proposals and hopes for the future

Measures to reduce child poverty in the strategy include many the youth activists have been calling for, including expanding Free School Meals to all children from households on Universal Credit (announced earlier in the year), scrapping the two-child benefit cap and improving financial support and wages.

Reacting to the news, Food Ambassador, Tymek, from Devon, said: "I think Free School Meals are so important because at the moment there are many families who can't afford to have breakfast and have nutritious dinners.

"It's amazing that more kids will get access to a healthy lunch at school, thanks to the expansion of Free School Meals to all children from households on Universal Credit.

"The Government needs to make sure that Free School Meals are nutritious no matter where you go to school, because for many kids, it will be their one nutritious meal of the day."

Food Ambassador, Rushda from Halifax, said: "Food insecurity means you don’t know if you’re going to be able to eat a meal later on, or you don’t know if you’re going to be able to eat until the next day, or you don’t know what your next meal will be.

"Too many young people have first-hand experience of food insecurity and they need to be involved in leading policy change. As young Food Ambassadors, we are seeing what is happening in our communities, we are bringing that perspective.

"It should be one of the main priorities to involve young people in policy change because after all it is going to affect our future. If we're not involved from the start, how would you expect the outcome to be good for us?

"I just want to say a big thank you to the taskforce for listening to us because a lot of the time young children are not heard, but our voices matter and our input should be heard. We're experiencing the consequences, it’s our future at stake."

A London-based Food Ambassador, who wished to remain anonymous, said: "I have two brothers and when the two-child benefit cap was introduced, my family struggled to put food on the table.

"The cap showed how little value the Government placed on children, arbitrarily forcing families on benefits to live off support that's only enough for two children when they are working hard to care for their entire family. I am so pleased that the cap has been removed. This change will benefit thousands of families like mine."

While a positive step, there is still more government can do, as clearly set out by young Food Ambassador, Dev Sharma live on BBC News.

Watch the clip on our YouTube channel

Given household food insecurity and poverty are directly related - currently, almost one in seven households with children (15%) are experiencing food insecurity, the Food Ambassadors were work with are keen to ensure that these strategies work in tandem to ensure that everyone, across the UK nations, can afford and access a healthy and sustainable diet.

Speaking about government plans to to tackle high infant formula - also included in the child poverty strategy - Penny Walters, a mother and grandmother in Newcastle said: "What is really lacking in the Government’s response is consideration for the lowest income families. Not necessarily benefitting from loyalty schemes and often already shopping around for the cheapest formulas, the issue is that formula prices are unaffordable for too many parents.

"When my daughter, Heather, was about to have her first baby, because of her health conditions and medications, she was told she might not be able to breastfeed. Now that hit hard. Suddenly, we were looking at the cost of formula, bottles, sterilizers, prep machines.

"If you don't get a maternity grant, and many people don't, how are you supposed to afford it all? We were going from shop to shop, looking for the cheapest options for baby formula. But doing the research takes time, travel, money and energy. They're all expensive anyway.

"We've been lucky. We've had the support network of friends who have lent us everything, but not everybody has. For some families, the cost is too much."

• Last year, the young Food Ambassadors we work with shared their experiences and insights with the Child Poverty Taskforce. They spoke about the impact of food insecurity on themselves, their friends and families; on educational attainment; mental and physical health; and their futures. They asked the taskforce to make food a priority, and to support families to afford a nutritious diet.