Addressing food insecurity
At the heart of Professor Bryant's work lies a profound concern for child food insecurity.
Food insecurity, which refers to not having reliable access to nutritious food, negatively affects the health and well-being of children, with the COVID-19 pandemic and rising cost of living only exasperating the problem.
The situation cannot be overstated: Levels of food insecurity among households with children rose to 26% in 2022. This represents a total of 4 million children.(1)
Free school meals are seen as an important way to help children from low-income families who are facing food insecurity. However, the current eligibility criteria for free school meals is incredibly restrictive.
Professor Bryant’s research published in the British Medical Journal found that 23% of children who were not eligible to free school meals were food insecure.
In addition, over 25% of all children, and over 50% of children living with potential food insecurity, reported their families visiting a food bank during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The research suggests the eligibility criteria for free school meals needs to be widened to prevent overlooking those in need.
Professor Bryant said of the study, “We found that even hard-working families still experience poverty and food insecurity. It's a big, big issue. It means there are large differences between who can and cannot get a nutritious school meal, so they can always be ready to learn and achieve their potential.”
Addressing under-enrolment in free school meals
Professor Bryant has identified that there is also an issue with eligible households not taking up free school meals.
Families have to apply for free school meals, which is means tested. Some families don’t apply, predominantly due to feelings of shame or due to stigma. The application process itself is a major barrier to some who may not understand the process.
To address this barrier, Professor Bryant, in partnership with the Food Foundation and Bremner & Co, is exploring auto-enrolment of entitled children to receive free school meals.
Professor Bryant explained, “We’re looking at addressing a data sharing barrier that prevents identification of families who are entitled to free school meals by supporting local authorities to link their data from welfare and education databases.
"This will enable families to be automatically enrolled, so their children will receive the meals without having to go through a separate application process.”
This initiative not only addresses the issue of under-enrolment but also secures funding for schools through the pupil premium, benefiting both students and educational institutions.
Professor Bryant acknowledges that having universal free school meals, regardless of circumstances, would benefit all children and reduce the associated stigma.
She explained, “It’s the number one thing children and young people have told us – if they were in charge, they would want all children to have a free school meal.”
Professor Bryant is also co-applicant on a new NIHR Public Health Research funded study led by Queens University Belfast, looking at universal access to school meals.
Professor Bryant said, “This is a really exciting project because we are aiming to show the cost effectiveness of widening access to free schools meals, which is the current barrier for any party actually committing to any form of universal free school meals.”