Workington MP Sue Hayman, Labour’s Shadow Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary, has just announced that the next Labour government will halve food bank usage within its first year of office.

She spoke today at the Labour Party conference in Brighton, saying Labour will set a target of ending the need for food banks altogether within its first three years, requiring different food security measures to be taken across several local and central Government departments.

She said: "Today , I am announcing that the next Labour government will introduce a Right to Food, embedded in UK law, underpinned by an over-arching national food strategy.

"We will introduce a Fair Food Act. We will ensure that everyone has access to nutritious and sustainable food. That means that everyone is able to feed themselves. Sufficient income, reduced living costs, social welfare, a real Living Wage.

"No more bedroom tax, an uprated carers’ allowance and an end to punitive benefit sanctions.

"What kind of barbaric society punishes someone for missing an appointment by making their children go hungry?

"Our measures mean that Labour will halve food bank usage within our first year in Government.

"And we aim to end the need for food banks completely within three years.

"Labour will set up a National Food Commission to uphold the Right to Food.

"We will set up a £6m People’s Access to Food Fund in the 50 most insecure food areas in the country.

"We will ensure decent pay and collective bargaining for food and agricultural workers.

"And we will ensure and protect access to trade union representation for all food and agricultural workers."

Labour said they will ensure that everyone in the UK has a Right to Food by enshrining it in UK law, in a new Fair Food Act. The new law will create a National Food Commission to monitor food insecurity, make recommendations to governments and oversee all aspects of the food system in Britain.

A £6m Access to Food Fund will be established to kick start the development of local community food plans in the 50 most food deprived areas of the country.

Locally developed community food plans would help to improve community based local food systems. Plans could establish local food markets, community gardens, community shops and kitchens, or to improve allotment management and educate or train local people on healthy diets, household food management or food cultivation skills.

The main reasons for referrals to food banks are changes made to the benefit system, delays to benefit payments and punitive benefit sanctions. The food-specific work will complement Labour’s commitments to benefits reform and income enhancing measures, for paid and unpaid workers and for those seeking or unable to work.

There are now 2,000 food banks across the UK.

Last year, a record 1.6m emergency food parcels were distributed by the Trussell Trust.

The Food Foundation estimates that 4 million children in Britain are now at risk of malnutrition as a result of living in poverty.

Brexit and climate change both threaten even more insecurity to our national food systems.

Mrs Hayman added: “In the world’s sixth richest country, it is a scandal that people are going hungry.

“We will make sure no one in the country needs to go hungry.

“We will kick start our efforts to build secure, community-based local food system with a £6m Access to Food Fund, initially targeted at the areas of the country with the highest levels of food insecurity.”