Daily Hind News Informative News on Daily Needs Roadside Mum said the parcel contained ingredients to make two jacket potatoes with beans and eight single cheese sandwiches, plus some snacks, pasta and a single tomato.
The package was meant to last 10 days, according to the post, and was issued to her instead of £30 ($40) in vouchers, which families on the scheme had received previously.
“I could do more with £30 to be honest,” wrote Roadside Mum, who said she could have bought the same amount of food for £5.22 ($7.10) at a supermarket. “The private company who have the #FSM contract made good profit here,” the post added.
CNN has contacted Chartwells for further comment.
“We have clear guidelines and standards for food parcels, which we expect to be followed,” read the DfE’s tweet. “Parcels should be nutritious and contain a varied range of food.”
Manchester United football player Rashford last year campaigned for 1.3 million children to claim free school meal vouchers in England’s summer holidays, forcing a U-turn from the UK government. He was honored by Queen Elizabeth II in recognition of his campaign.
On Tuesday Rashford posted a Twitter thread following a conversation with Chartwells that morning. He said there had been little communication with suppliers before England’s lockdown was announced by the government.
“Children shouldn’t be going hungry on the basis that we aren’t communicating or being transparent with plans,” said Rashford. “That is unacceptable.”
British lawmaker Keir Starmer, leader of the opposition Labour party, also waded in.
In December, humanitarian organization UNICEF announced it would help feed people in parts of the UK for the first time in its 70-year history.
The United Nations (UN) agency said a “domestic emergency” meant vulnerable children and families need assistance due to the Covid-19 crisis.
In May 2019, a UN report on poverty in the UK said the Conservative government remained in a “state of denial” about the 14 million people living on the breadline, continuing its almost decade-long austerity measures “despite the tragic social consequences.”
The UK is the world’s fifth largest economy, yet one-fifth of its population lives in poverty, found the report, which predicted that 40% of children would be living in poverty in the next two-and-a-half years.
