BRIGHTON and Hove MPs have shared their outrage at an image alleged to show a food parcel which was supposed to provide the equivalent of a week of school meals.
Families who qualify for the Free School Meals scheme are being sent the food parcels rather than the weekly £30 voucher, but Twitter user "Roadside Mum" claimed the items she had been sent were worth just £5.22.
The parcel included bread, beans, carrots, apples, potatoes, a tomato, cheese slices, Frubes, pasta, Soreen and bananas.
#FreeSchoolMeals bag for 10 days:
— Roadside Mum 🐯 (@RoadsideMum) January 11, 2021
2 days jacket potato with beans
8 single cheese sandwiches
2 days carrots
3 days apples
2 days soreen
3 days frubes
Spare pasta & tomato. Will need mayo for pasta salad.
Issued instead of £30 vouchers. I could do more with £30 to be honest. pic.twitter.com/87LGUTHXEu
In a post which has now been retweeted more than 30,000 times, Roadside Mum said: "(This was) issued instead of £30 vouchers. I could do more with £30 to be honest."
Brighton and Hove MPs are among those to share the post with Green MP Caroline Lucas, and Labour politicians Lloyd Russell-Moyle and Peter Kyle, sharing their anger at the lack of provisions.
When I remember the struggling small businesses who offered nutritious free meals to children last Oct & then see what corporations contracted by the Govt are delivering, it makes my blood boil
— Caroline Lucas (@CarolineLucas) January 12, 2021
I'm glad Chartwells & @educationgovuk are now investigatinghttps://t.co/ksrYHcq8kN
Ms Lucas said: "When I remember the struggling small businesses who offered nutritious free meals to children last October and then see what corporations contracted by the government are delivering, it makes my blood boil."
Mr Lloyd-Moyle, MP for Brighton Kemptown, said: "This food box is appalling and daylight robbery.
"Parents are meant to be given £30 of food but this must be worth £5.
This food box is appealing and day light robbery. Parents are meant to be given £30 of food but this must be worth £5. The reason food handouts rarely work is that people can usually buy better, more and food they likely when they are empowered with the vouchers and money. https://t.co/1aTB5Yf54s
— Lloyd Russell-Moyle MP🌹🇪🇺🏳️🌈 (@lloyd_rm) January 11, 2021
"The reason food handouts rarely work is that people can usually buy better, (buy) more and (buy) food they like when they are empowered with the vouchers and money."
Hove and Portslade MP Peter Kyle said: "I feel such shame - and anger - reading this thread.
"It's this kind of thing that our generation will be judged on by those to follow."
I feel such shame - and anger - reading this thread. It's this kind of thing that our generation will be judged on by those those to follow https://t.co/gtk59JPRBH
— Peter Kyle MP (@peterkyle) January 12, 2021
And Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer also condemned the paltry parcel.
He said: "The images appearing online of woefully inadequate free school meal parcels are a disgrace.
"Where is the money going?
The images appearing online of woefully inadequate free school meal parcels are a disgrace.
— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) January 12, 2021
Where is the money going?
This needs sorting immediately so families don’t go hungry through lockdown.
"This needs sorting immediately so families don’t go hungry through lockdown."
Roadside Mum claimed that Chartwells, a company providing school meals during the pandemic, wanted "to find a solution to feed as many children as possible".
The company has responded to the claims on Twitter, saying: "Thank you for bringing this to our attention, this does not reflect the specification of one of our hampers.
"Please can you DM us the details of the school that your child attends and we will investigate immediately."
There are a lot of people seeking to whip a storm up on Twitter tonight. Too much to hope in age of instant outrage to wait for the facts before jumping in. DfE are likewise investigating. https://t.co/XxExbHgSzx
— Simon Clarke MP (@SimonClarkeMP) January 11, 2021
With the original post now spread widely across social media, Conservative MP for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland Simon Clarke said people should wait before "seeking to whip a storm up on Twitter".
He also said that the Department for Education (DfE) was investigating the image.
He Tweeted: "There are a lot of people seeking to whip a storm up on Twitter tonight.
We are looking into this.
— Department for Education (@educationgovuk) January 11, 2021
We have clear guidelines and standards for food parcels, which we expect to be followed. Parcels should be nutritious and contain a varied range of food.https://t.co/ZBdJZqxdfK https://t.co/9sfxHPX9RJ
"Too much to hope in an age of instant outrage to wait for the facts before jumping in. DfE are likewise investigating."
A DfE spokesman said: "We are looking into this.
"We have clear guidelines and standards for food parcels, which we expect to be followed. Parcels should be nutritious and contain a varied range of food."
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