And now we have food banks . . .

[longwayoff]

Just saw Lenny Henry reminiscing 30 years of Comic Relief. And, as he said,if you'd told him then he'd be here years later raising money for food banks in the UK he would have refused to believe it. Quite rightly, me too. We're still one if the wealthiest countries in the world. Why aren't we more ashamed of this disgraceful development?

[wafflyversatile]

Some poor people are obese, not all. Some obese are not poor. Ill health can lead to both obesity and poverty.

Its not just (some) poor people who can't cook or budget. Lots of people can't do either well but they're not poor so are irrelevant to the poor-bashers who think they have the answers.

It's not just about not being able to cook. It's about having cooking facilities, having money for the Meter, having money for the bus to the market or supermarket, carrying it home.

[BadPennyNoBiscuit]

Becuase they know no better/are lazy/cant cook/wont cook/have learned this from their parent(s).

No, thats not true. Food poverty goes hand in hand with fuel and water poverty. You cant cook dried beans from scratch when you cant afford fuel and water.

[longwayoff]

I saw 3 young people leave a food bank a few weeks ago. 2 men and a woman, early 20s ish. They sat on a bench nearby and ate a cauliflower and some carrots. Raw. Obviously they should have taken it home and made a nourishing soup to last all week utilising their budgeting skills and home economics training but they seemed to be quite hungry right then. Raw.

[Alsohuman]

The cheapest food tends to be the most calorific and the easiest to cook.

[BadPennyNoBiscuit]

Cooking requires pesky skills such as the ability to own utensils and a cooker.

[EssentialHummus]

Little thought experiment arnold. You’ve fled DV with your young children and just been rehoused in a hostel or (lucky you) flat with basic cooking facilities. Gas and electric are metered. You’ve got a generous £20 in your pocket. The nearest proper shop is a few miles away.

You could walk there and back with your DC (several hours) or take a bus (cutting into your funds). The kids are unsettled and acting up after the last few days. If you get there you could buy a big 5kg bag of lentils for £2, some frozen veg, potatoes some spices, porridge, all sorts to make healthy cheap meals - but then the cooker needs to run for an hour or more, and you risk your kids turning their noses up at unfamiliar food (never mind carrying that lot back). Oh, and you’ll need a pot or cooker too - £5? Or you could go to the corner store over the road - you’ll likely find pizza (£1), bread and butter (overpriced, but still), the biscuits your kids know and like, food which is quick to cook, cheap and tasty, and which leaves you with money for tomorrow, and you can top up your gas card.

I can cook amazing dhals and stews for about 50p per portion in my kitchen, but there are plenty of people who can’t - and we need to take the value judgement out of it. I don’t doubt that there are lazy and uneducated people, but there are also some very clear odds stacked against the poorest in society.

[Arnoldthecat]

Indeed,ive been piss poor myself. We all know its a complex matter with a myriad of causes. . People need support to learn and upskill. Continually shovelling money at people is not a sustainable solution. They need to engage,be enabled ,get with it in so much as they are capable or risk going under.

[HellAndDegenerates]

I would make it compulsory in all our schools in primary and upwards to teach cookery/home economics and finance.

I'd agree but austerity has hit schools so hard that one are shutting early on Fridays to cut costs. How are they going to afford more compulsory lessons?
How are the poorest going to afford the ingredients? Etc.

There's kids out there now reliant on their teachers to give them meals and clothing because their parents have been pushed into destitution by a government that knows and does not give a shiny shit.

Read the news.. look at what Brexit is costing, look at the money changing hands between Tories and DUP, look at the money wasted on contracts that line other peoples pockets. That garden bridge... Look at the money that Universal Credit has pissed away.

No look at the kids in school so hungry they can barely learn a damn thing. Then tell me in good conscience how any one can vote and support the continuation of this.

[BadPennyNoBiscuit]

Throwing some money at poor people would be a good start to eradicating poverty, thats exactly how it works.

For example, you need money to find a job and start work.

[ThriftyMcThrifty]

I volunteered in a food bank in a small midlands town as part of my duke of Edinburgh a good 25 years ago. But I do agree they have become much more common and more needed today.