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Food Poverty

Asked by Ian ByrneLabourDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled Answered 5 March 2026UIN 116898

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her department has assessed the long-term implications of reliance on emergency food provision for the fulfilment of the right to food; and what steps she is taking to reduce structural dependence on such provision.

Answered by Dame Angela Eagle

Defra has not assessed the implications of emergency food provision for fulfilment of a right to food. The Government is committed to tackling poverty and ending mass dependence on emergency food parcels. From 1 April 2026, The Government is introducing a new Crisis and Resilience Fund in England. This aims to enable local authorities to provide preventative support to communities as well as assisting people when faced with a financial crisis, to support the Government’s ambition to end mass dependence on emergency food parcels.

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