The Autumn Budget: does it do enough for children’s health?

We are pleased to see the lifting of the two-child benefit cap. Any action that helps ease the burden on families struggling to eat is welcome. Next, government must ensure all children eligible for Free School Meals can access them, which requires the introduction of an auto-enrolment system. 

The Healthy Start Scheme should also be updated. By extending the eligibility criteria, raising the age threshold to children of five years, and increasing the value of the weekly payments in line with inflation, the scheme could support many more families at risk of food insecurity to access healthy, whole and minimally processed foods.

An extension to the Soft Drinks Industry Levy to cover more products is also welcome. It’s essential that government employs smart fiscal tools to enable healthier diets, especially among children. We also need efforts to ensure that children’s tastes adapt to less sweet foods and drinks, without any increase in artificial sweetener consumption. Additional funding for freshly prepared school meals are one way to achieve this, supporting children to grow up enjoying the tastes and textures of healthy, fresh and whole foods.

We also support the UK Government ask for the Food Standards Agency to develop a new national system of regulation for large food businesses in England. This will provide more comprehensive oversight of the largest retailers – who sell the vast majority of the food people buy – and allow regulators to spot and address risks and potentially drive progress on healthy food sale disclosures.

Last year, Labour committed to improving children’s health. We hope the government builds on these announcements and takes these promises further.