Booking now: Launch of report on ending hunger in UK

Church Action on Poverty is launching a new report, Why end UK hunger? The case for ending hunger in the UK in Central London on 6 November.

Up to eight million households are experiencing some level of household food insecurity. Literally thousands of local faith and community groups have stepped in, not just through the estimated 2,000 food banks across the UK, but a huge array of other community food projects, community cafes, growing schemes, and social supermarkets. This demonstrates the power of faith groups to act for the common good, and highlights the increasing inability (or unwillingness) of the State to ensure access to the basic necessities of life.

Speakers at the launch will include Baroness Ruth Lister, Heidi Allen MP and several of the report's main authors including Dr Hannah Lambie-Mumford (University of Sheffield) and Dr Rachel Loopstra (King's College London).

The report is in support of End Hunger UK's new campaign goal: That the UK Government should commit to developing a cross-departmental action plan to halve household food insecurity by 2025, by addressing the underlying causes of poverty and destitution, in order to make good on its existing commitment within the Sustainable Development Goal to end hunger by 2030.

The report follows on from the publication of Step up to the Plate in 2018 which called for comprehensive government thinking on responding to hunger in the UK. Whilst household food insecurity is now being measured in the UK, comprehensive policy responses are still lacking. This new report will bring together leading academics and thinkers to make a renewed argument for why it is so important to address the root causes of hunger on the basis of six key 'cases': the moral case; the public health case; the case for action on child poverty; the case for secure income; the human rights case and the political case for action on hunger.

The launch, sponsored by the University of Sheffield as part of the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) Festival of Social Science takes place on Wednesday, 6 November, 12.30 - 14.30 at Church House, 31 Great Smith Street, London SW1P 3BN

A light lunch will be provided to all attendees who pre-register.

To book your place see: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/why-end-uk-hunger-the-case-for-ending-hunger-in-the-uk-tickets-74666488477

LINK

www.endhungeruk.org

Niall Cooper is Director of Church Action on Poverty and chair of End Hunger UK.