Food poverty: A growing issue in developed countries
In the United Kingdom, the Faculty of Public Health recently warned that conditions like rickets were becoming more prevalent because people can no longer afford quality food in their diet. This news comes after health figures recently revealed a 19 percent increase in the number of people admitted to hospital with malnutrition over the past year. Vice president of the Faculty of Public Health, John Middleton, said food-related ill health was “getting worse because people can't afford good quality food". The problem is partially due to an increase in food prices, which have risen 12 percent since 2007. In the same period, UK workers suffered a 7.6 percent fall in wages. Families are also struggling to provide meals for their children during the summer holidays, when school lunches are no longer offered. Several new initiatives are working across the UK to assist parents with providing meals for their children, including the Kellogg's Holiday Breakfast Club, the Fun and Food in School Holidays initiative and the Ashram Housing Association's Holiday Kitchen.