As the upcoming Christmas revelry ushers in what will be a time of plenty for many, thousands of disabled people in the U.K. are likely to feel the pinch of food insecurity and deprivation this holiday season.
That’s according to research released last week by the U.K.-based non-profit the Food Foundation which identified that four in ten households containing an individual with a significant degree of disability experience food insecurity. That’s in stark contrast to households with no disabled people where the figure is one in ten. The data was captured from surveys undertaken in June 2023 and the picture could yet be bleaker now when taking into account the higher fuel costs required to heat homes during the cold winter months.
Indeed, the research briefing, which was funded by the Nuffield Foundation points to the disproportionate burden on disabled people of both the U.K.’s cost-of-living crisis and the Covid-19 pandemic which preceded it as being significant exacerbating factors for the current predicament many disabled Britons find themselves in.
Allied to this are several important longer term trends perhaps the most notable of which is the disability employment gap in the country which stands at 52.6% of disabled people in employment compared to 82.5% of non-disabled people. According to Lancaster University’s Work Foundation, 27% of disabled workers are in severely insecure work compared with 19% of non-disabled workers. Finally, research from earlier in the year undertaken by the Resolution Foundation shows that take-home pay is on average 30% lower for those with disabilities.
It is against this disadvantageous backdrop that the extra costs arising from disability itself need to be understood. These can arise from anything from the need to purchase assistive technology and mobility devices to covering extra fuel costs to keep homes warm in order to stave off medical complications or power appliances such as respiratory equipment or dialysis machines. According to U.K. disability charity Scope, some households with a disabled adult or child may face additional related costs of up to £1000 per month. In relation to nutrition specifically, there may be physical challenges in preparing healthy meals leading to an overreliance on microwaveable and processed foods.
In terms of recommendations, the Food Foundation is advocating for a more generous and equitable welfare system that adequately reflects the increased costs associated with disability and the particular importance of healthy eating and access to high-quality food for the disability community as part of health maintenance strategies.
In a media statement, Shona Goudie the Food Foundation’s Policy and Advocacy manager said, “It is unacceptable that there are such high rates of food insecurity amongst disabled people and that they have had to suffer disproportionately during Covid and the cost-of-living crises. There is no excuse for not giving disabled people the support they need. Policymakers need to take action now to reduce these inequalities and protect disabled people from unfair hardships.”
It is a viewpoint echoed by Labour MP and former Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer John McDonnell:
“The soaring rates of food insecurity amongst disabled people in modern Britain is a disgrace. Disabled people in our society were disproportionately affected by Covid-19 and they have continued to suffer even more than most through the cost-of-living crisis, said McDonnell.
“All the political parties must now come together to create a consensus to end the poverty and indignity that too many disabled people have to endure. There is no excuse for allowing the status quo to continue.”
Whilst for many British families living with disability, it may be too late to save Christmas 2023 – it might be argued that experiencing a more favorable outcome next year is, at least in part, a matter of political will.
However, so far, the omens are not looking positive. The new year will undoubtedly be dominated by the distraction of what is likely to be a bitterly fought General Election campaign. Meanwhile, to close out this year, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s final piece of disability-related policymaking has been viewed as something of a kick in the teeth for the community. Tom Pursglove has been replaced by Mims Davies as Minister for Disabled People. This reshuffle was fairly unremarkable until it was revealed that Davies’ new role has been downgraded as, rather than working in her new post exclusively, she will also continue in her existing position as the Department for Work and Pensions minister responsible for young people and social mobility. Furthermore, Davies is a junior minister in contrast to her predecessor who served as a minister of state.
Certainly, since the pandemic, but also before that, there has been a prevailing sense of being set aside and deprioritized within the disability community. Sadly, when this predictably results in stark choices at a household level between heating homes and putting food on the table, the ultimate outcome becomes inevitable and bears down hard no matter the time of year.