Members of Intact in Preston join the End Hunger UK campaign on World Food Day

Members of Intact, in Ingol, gathered on World Food Day (Wednesday, October 16) to add their voices to demands around the country for action as part of the End UK Hunger campaign .

They met at The Intact Centre to unveil a message calling for immediate steps to be taken to tackle food poverty and insecurity.

Denise Hartley chief executive officer of Intact, said: “It cannot be right that so many people in our town are going hungry, having been swept into poverty by systems beyond their control. "There are some amazing projects in the town helping to meet the need day to day, but we need to move beyond sticking-plaster solutions and really tackle the causes of food poverty. We need the Government to lead on this, and really tackle the systems that are pushing people into deeper difficulty, so people can escape the clutches of poverty.”

The national End Hunger UK campaign includes around 40 national charities, anti-poverty organisations and faith groups. It has proposed a range of policies that can reduce poverty and contribute to ending hunger in the UK.

Niall Cooper, chairman of End Hunger UK, said: “We all want to live in a country where everyone has access to good food and no one needs to go to bed hungry, but we need action to make that a reality. All parties need to commit to drawing up a clear roadmap to end food poverty, and the Government must act now to end hunger.

“The UK has no shortage of food. The problem is one of incomes – too many working and non-working households are being hamstrung by insufficient wages and a benefits system that does not cover people’s essential costs. Charitable emergency food provision has proliferated in the UK in the past decade and large numbers of people have been forced to turn to food aid providers. In the sixth wealthiest nation on the planet, this is simply not right.”