A fifth of children are worried about not being able to get enough food at home as the cost of living crisis puts further strain on household budgets, a study revealed.
The survey of parents and youngsters aged 4 to 19 also found 23 percent of families had been forced to buy less fresh food, including fruit and vegetables, The Daily Mail reported.
Meanwhile, 63 percent said they had switched to buying cheaper food from the supermarket in order to save money.
Magic Breakfast, an education charity that carried out the research with funding from the players of People’s Postcode Lottery, said the figures reveal how hard it is for some families to access healthy meals.
“These are shocking figures which show the challenges faced by many people across the country,” said Lindsey MacDonald, the charity’s CEO.
“Increasing numbers of families are now impacted by the cost of living crisis, with many children starting the day too hungry to succeed at school,” she added.
Magic Breakfast supports school breakfast provision for children at risk of hunger in England and Scotland.
The charity currently supports more than 200,000 pupils at 1,000 schools, from primary through to secondary.
“Having a healthy, nutritious start to the school day is crucially important for every child,” said Lindsey,” adding, “It will ensure their tummy isn’t empty, they are able to study and won’t disrupt their classmates.”
“But breakfast provision is about far more than just food – they’re also a place where children can do homework, socialise and have adults check on their welfare,” Lindsey added.
The number of UK children affected by food insecurity nearly doubled in the last year to almost 4million, according to the Food Foundation.
Most families struggling to get enough food said a lack of money was their biggest problem.
However, poverty and financial hardship are not the only reasons children are turning up to school needing something to eat.
“Some might have breakfast when they leave home but have to travel for an hour or more to get to their school and become hungry again,” Lindsey said.
“Or mum and dad might work but getting everyone up and organised in time for school can be a struggle, despite their best efforts,” Lindsey said, adding, “Organising everyone is often particularly hard for single parent families or those with lots of children.”
The Magic Breakfast research also revealed that the chance of children eating breakfast changes as they age, with many secondary school pupils going without.
In total, 38% of pupils aged 11 and above are either never having breakfast or only eating it sometimes.
The charity said it would use the results of the research to reach more people in need.
