Delivering Economic Justice: How Fruit & Veg is Fighting the Poverty Premium
Zebras Children and Adults Charity started the Fruit & Veg For Families project in 2020. The aim was to alleviate poverty and challenge the economic imbalance in the United Kingdom. By delivering fresh produce directly to our beneficiaries’ doors we are actively correcting a systemic economic imbalance to ensure that a family's income and postcode never dictate their right to health, dignity, and basic nutrition.
Under Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for health and well-being, including food. In the United Kingdom, poverty can come in many forms and may not be absolute starvation. However, one of the biggest issues is malnutrition. When a beneficiary cannot afford to include fresh fruit and veg in their regular produce purchases, their fundamental right to adequate and nourishing food is violated by the current state of the economy. It’s undeniable that poverty and a poor diet are contributors towards chronic illness, meaning it’s often the families that are struggling financially who become the most vulnerable from a health standpoint.
While providing fresh fruit and veg isn’t the cure to every issue, it is preventative economic care. By fueling children, young people, and adults with proper nutrients, we are investing in their long-term ability to learn, work, and thrive, creating a platform for everyone to succeed no matter the situation they find themselves in right now.
Defeating The "Poverty Premium" On Nutrition
Despite many people being unfamiliar with the term “Poverty Premium”, it’s something that continues to plague struggling households across the United Kingdom. At Zebras Children and Adults Charity, we’re trying our hardest to eradicate the poverty premium with our Fruit & Veg For Families project. But the challenge we are facing is immense. According to a 2023 study by The Broken Plate: “The most deprived fifth of the population would need to spend 50% of their disposable income on food to meet the cost of the Government recommended healthy diet. This compares to just 11% for the least deprived fifth.”
This proves the economic injustice our beneficiaries are facing and shows just how much work is needed to tackle the poverty premium issue. The same study found that more healthy foods cost over twice as much per calorie as less healthy foods. This means our beneficiaries will not only continue to suffer financially, but they will likely be forced to choose an unhealthy diet. This choice sacrifices their human right to a standard of living adequate for health and well-being. But this is a choice they shouldn’t have to make.
As a charity, we survive on funding and donations for the Fruit & Veg For Families project. This funding goes directly to a service that's supported approximately 3,900 individuals since launch. While this is already amazing, we still have a lot of work to do before we can safely say we have defeated the current economic imbalance, which is lowering the quality of lives for people already living in vulnerable and marginalised communities. But with your help, we can continue our work to face these challenges head-on and get closer to living in a fairer society for all.