British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday criticized the “disgraceful” free school meal packages sent to British families in need during the nationwide lockdown, saying he is working with the company that supplied the meals to remedy the situation. His comment comes after Manchester United superstar Marcus Rashford shared photos of the meager food parcels earlier this week.
Rashford, who battled childhood hunger in the UK during the pandemic, highlighted the quality of meals that families were fed on Monday. After a Twitter user posted a photo with two carrots, a sliced loaf, three apples, two bananas and a few other items – supplies they said were meant to feed a family for 10 days – the 23-year-old quote tweeted the photo saying it was “unacceptable. “
In another message, Rashford said the meals were “just not good enough.”
Then imagine that we expect the children to learn at home. Not to mention the parents who sometimes have to teach them who probably haven’t eaten at all so their kids can … We MUST do better. This is 2021, ” he wrote.
The tweets with the meals received criticism online, prompting Chartwells, a free school meals company excuse on Wednesday.
Rashford also told his Twitter followers on Wednesday that he had a meeting with the Prime Minister, who “assured” Rashford that he will investigate to “fix the problem.” Johnson also tweeted that the company agreed to “repay those affected.”
“I totally agree with you Marcus Rashford, these food packages do not meet the standards we have set and we have made it clear to the company concerned that this is a shame,” he said.
Still, Rashford, who as a child was dependent on the free school meal program urged an investigation of the system as a whole.
“Our eyes are open. Now is the time for a complete overhaul of the Free School Meal system,” he said.
According to the BBC, the packages should include food that allows parents to prepare a healthy lunch for five days, and children of all ages may qualify if they live in households that receive means-tested benefits.