A new report has laid bare the significant challenges that children and young people face in finding and affording nutritious food outside of traditional home or school environments.
- Almost a quarter of young people (23%) say they struggle to access healthy food choices in their community.
- Over 45,000 young people shared their views for a new report from Co-op and Barnardo’s which reveals how young people are struggling to find and afford nutritious food outside of home or school.
- Co-op and Barnardo’s will present the report and urgent recommendations to politicians at Labour and Conservative Party conferences, alongside young co-authors such as Kyson Redd, 21, who became homeless during the pandemic.
Published by Co-op and children’s charity Barnardo’s, and co-designed by a team of young people, more than 45,000 young people aged 9-25 (1) were consulted through focus groups, surveys, and classroom consultations.
Polling conducted by VotesforSchools revealed that nearly a quarter of secondary- and college-aged students (23%) find it hard to access healthy food choices in their community, as cost of living challenges impact their traditional routes to food such as home or school.
Listening to young people in the focus groups was heartbreaking. I've struggled with access to food since becoming homeless aged 18, but to hear people as young as 13 talking about it was eye-opening.
Kyson
21-year-old homeless young person, closely involved in the report’s production
The location of food shops, lack of ethical options, and a perceived hostility towards young people in community spaces were repeatedly cited as barriers to access. Young people pointed to the affordability of nutritious food as a significant barrier, echoing prior Co-op and Barnardo’s research which found that 35% of young people live in homes which are struggling, or have struggled, to pay for or access food.(2)
The report highlights that food insecurity is highest in families where the head of the household is aged 16-24 - with 2 in 10 younger households classed as ‘food insecure’, compared to 1 in 10 of households for all ages.(3) A staggering three-quarters (79%) of Co-op members aged 16-25 confessed to having skipped a meal due to money being tight, with one young Co-op member saying: “As a young adult with a child, I’ve had to skip so many meals just to make sure my daughter is fed.”
The report outlines six key recommendations for policymakers, local authorities, and retailers to help overcome these challenges – including establishing local food partnerships, expanding retail discount schemes to young people, and addressing holiday hunger when the Government’s HAF scheme ends in March 2025.
Kyson will attend the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool on 23 September to present the report alongside peers and representatives from Co-op and Barnardo’s.
Lynn Perry, CEO of Barnardo’s, said: “Too many young people are simply not getting the food they need when they need it. We know change is needed so that families can afford to put healthy meals on the table, and to make sure children are eating well at school, but on top of this, our new research finds that much more needs to be done in communities. Through our partnership with Co-op, we’re working with young people to make their voices heard. Together, we are calling on policymakers, local authorities, and businesses to take urgent action to ensure that no child goes hungry, and everyone gets the nutrients they need to grow and thrive.”
Rebecca Birkbeck, Director of Community & Membership Participation at Co-op, said: “At Co-op, we believe that young people’s voices must be at the heart of shaping the solutions to the challenges they face. This is something our Co-op member-owners care about and co-operating to fix it is crucial. Together with Barnardo’s, we’re committed to raising £5m to support positive futures for 750,000 young people across the UK and securing access to food and learning how to cook it is a key issue which has come up again and again.”
Change only happens when we work together. If the government can learn from that and start working with young people, with businesses and organisations – just like Co-op and Barnardo’s are doing - that’s when we’ll really start to make a difference.
Kyson
To learn more about the partnership visit Co-op's website.
1) 45,384 secondary- and college-aged students voted through Votes 4 Schools. 601 16-25-year-olds were consulted through a Co-op member’s survey. 41 9-25-year-olds were consulted through focus groups arranged by Co-op and Barnardo’s.
2) Co-op and Barnardo’s, May 2023, ‘Youth Opportunities Tracker: Fairer Futures’.
3) Office for National Statistics (2024), ‘Family Resources Survey’, Table 9.4.