The latest report from Health Equity North highlights a growing crisis: children across the North of England are increasingly trapped between hunger and unhealthy food.
Rising food insecurity and rising childhood obesity aren’t separate problems they’re both symptoms of the same inequality. Families forced to choose between eating enough and eating well are being failed.
At Rethink Food, we see this every day in schools and communities. Children coming to school hungry, struggling to concentrate. Families relying on cheap, high-calorie options because healthier choices are out of reach.
We believe this is solvable. Through education, support, and dignified access to healthy food, we can help children and families make informed choices and build healthier futures.
Nathan Atkinson, co-founder, Rethink Food added: “This report lays bare what we in schools and communities see every day…that far too many children in the North are being failed by a broken system. Food insecurity and rising childhood obesity are two sides of the same coin, and neither should ever be acceptable in a society like ours.
We know that hunger undermines education, health, and wellbeing and that access to healthy, affordable food can transform lives. That’s why Rethink Food and the National School Pantry Network exist: to give families dignity, support, and the tools to build healthier futures.
We cannot keep leaving schools and charities to pick up the pieces alone. We need action, policies that prioritise children’s health and education, and sustainable support for the communities who need it most. This is about more than food; it’s about giving children the chance to thrive.”
This is about more than food, it’s about giving every child the chance to thrive.
Read the full report here.
