Seema Malhotra, MP for Feltham and Heston has called for the Government to make it easier for families to make healthy choices as researchers reveal the difficulty of healthy eating in Hounslow.
The MP called for more action following the launch of the Feeding Our Families Exhibition, hosted by the BridgeLinkCentre.
The event included photos and stories by a group of parents from Hounslow participating in the project, about their experiences feeding a family on a low-income and ideas for change.
The launch was attended by over 40 local residents alongside Seema Malhotra, the MP for Feltham and Heston, and Isleworth councillor John Stroud-Turp.
Feeding Our Families is a research study conducted by the Centre for Food Policy in City University, London. It worked with residents in Hounslow to understand their relationships with food.
The photos will be available to view upstairs in the hall at the BridgeLink Centre until the end of September.
Speaking after the event, Malhotra said:
“Three in five adults in Hounslow were overweight or living with obesity last year. That’s an incredibly alarming figure and parents also raised concerns with me about the quality and pricing of food for children in supermarkets.”
“The Government has wrongly delayed its own ban on junk food ads targeted at children and scrapped its research into health disparities.”
“A health delivery board will sit at the heart of the next Labour Government, ensuring that Government Departments work together to ensure a Britain where everyone lives well for longer.”
“And Labour will introduce free breakfast clubs for primary schools, just as Labour’s Mayor Sadiq Khan has brought in free school meals for every primary school pupil in London.”
The research project will also be presented at the Food Justice half-day conference being organised by the Feltham and Heston MP on the 30th of September 2023 at Hounslow Methodist Church.
Tickets are free for local residents and anyone wishing to attend can sign up at seemamalhotra.com/food-conference/
Participants from the Feeding Families in Hounslow project said:
“Things have become worse and worse since the pandemic and the situation is very stressful for families.”
“Families must contend with mounting challenges from stagnating wages and benefits to soaring food prices to shrinkflation. Feeding families has become an arduous task due to dwindling resources.”
“Moving forward, we want to see change.”