If we have the political will we can make this the last year where people have to go hungry, Scottish Labour MSP Foysol Choudhury has said.
Foysol Choudhury is calling on parliamentarians to support Rhoda Grant MSP’s ‘Right to Food’ bill, which would enshrine the right to food in Scots Law.
The MSP said that food poverty in the City of Edinburgh is at unacceptable levels. The Trussell Trust reported that it has distributed some 8,974 food parcels to people in Scotland in the six months from April to September this year, including a shameful 2,948 distributed to children.
In August, the Food Foundation reported that 10.3 per cent of Scots were experiencing food in security.
With the Tory cut to Universal Credit set to push families across Scotland further and further into poverty, Edinburgh Labour MSP Foysol Choudhury is calling for urgent action to tackle food poverty.
Foysol Choudhury said: “There is no reason at all why anyone should be going hungry in a wealthy nation like Scotland.
“The evidence is clear – thousands of Scots are in food poverty and many more are being put at risk due to Tory cuts.
“These appalling figures show how many families in the City of Edinburgh are relying on food banks to get by.
“We simply cannot stand back and allow this situation to continue.
“If we have the political will we can end food poverty in Scotland by enshrining it as a human right in Scots Law.
“This will send a powerful message to the country that we are serious about tackling the scourge of food poverty and force us into action.
“Let’s make this a reality, so no-one in Edinburgh has to go hungry next Christmas.”
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