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Vulnerable Groups

Who is at risk and how are they being helped?

The government has identified 1.5 million people in the UK who are at very high medical risk of the virus, but millions more will require support: the pandemic is taking hold in a Britain where too many people already struggle to afford enough nutritious food and this is being compounded by difficulties in getting to shops or getting food deliveries. Without the right help to deal with the conditions created by COVID-19, citizens who are economically vulnerable and food insecure may find themselves battling illness, hunger and debt. As a vulnerable group already at greater risk of food insecurity, children and young people could face further barriers to accessing affordable, nutritious food as a result of COVID-19.

We’ll be identifying the vulnerable groups, investigating how their needs are being addressed and finding opportunities to improve the response. In order to understand how COVID-19 is affecting children in the UK, we’ll be following developments in policy designed to protect them, and will create platforms from which young people can tell us about their experience of lockdown, and what they’re eating in quarantine.

Take a look at our breakdown of vulnerable groups during the COVID-19 crisis here, and find out more about the Food Foundation’s work on the Children’s #Right2Food Campaign.

Return to our homepage to view the COVID-19 Tracker in full.

Campaigners call on government to help feed children living in poverty during school closures

13th Mar 2020

In response to the possibility of school closures, The Daily Mirror covered a letter signed by the Food Foundation which calls on the government to ensure provisions are made for children who are reliant on free school meals, as well as for those who are living in poverty but are not eligible for the entitlement.

Anna Taylor, Executive Director of the Food Foundation, said: “1.5 million children depend on school meals for nourishment. These children are from the poorest homes in the country. Parents and children alike tell us how much they rely on this meal for vital sustenance. Special measures must be put in place to support these children and their families in the event of school closures.”