World

Johnson Slams 'Disgraceful' Food Parcels Delivered to UK School Children

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday slammed the "disgraceful" food parcels delivered to children who are eligible for free school meals amid the coronavirus-related lockdown.
Sputnik

Images of the food parcels, which were distributed by Compass Group subsidiary Chartwells, caused outrage when they were circulated on social media sites.

One parcel, which was purportedly intended to provide lunches for 10 days, contained one loaf of bread, a tin of beans, two bananas, three apples, two carrots, two potatoes, a bag of pasta, sliced cheese, two malt loaf bars, and three yogurt tubes, according to a photograph posted online.

"I don't think anybody in this House is happy with the disgraceful images that we've seen of the food parcels that have been offered," Johnson said during a session in the House of Commons.
UK's Queen Honours ManUtd's Marcus Rashford for Child Food Poverty Campaign During Pandemic

Manchester United and England soccer player Marcus Rashford, a prominent campaigner for free school meals, said that the parcels delivered to children were "not good enough."

In a statement posted on Wednesday, Chartwells issued an apology for the quality and the quantity of the food sent to children during the ongoing COVID-19 lockdown.

As many as 1.4 million children in England are eligible for free school meals, according to data published by the government.

Discuss