How does the Welsh Government plan to address cases of severe acute malnutrition reported in Wales?
The Welsh Government recognises the importance of a healthy diet. We are working on making it easier for people to make the healthy choice the easy choice when buying food. We have allocated more than £22m to support community food organisations to tackle food poverty and provide a wider range of services.
We are the only part of the UK, which provides all primary aged pupils with a free breakfast and free or subsidised milk. We are also rolling out free school meals for all primary school pupils – more than 24.5m free meals have been served since the launch of the commitment, with 174,000 pupils now eligible for a free school meal. This commitment also supports local food production and distribution, benefiting local economies.
We actively promote the Healthy Start Scheme, which provides help for eligible pregnant women and young families in receipt of certain benefits to buy fruit, vegetables, milk and infant formula, and free Healthy Start Vitamins.
We have made a commitment to undertake a review of the Healthy Eating in Schools Regulations to incorporate the latest scientific research and recommendations concerning nutritional standards.
We are supporting the School Holiday Enrichment Programme (SHEP) with £4.85m to provide healthy meals, food and nutrition education, physical activity and enrichment sessions to learners in areas of socio-economic disadvantage for a minimum of 12 days during the 2024 school summer holidays.
Funding of £1m will continue to be made available to local authorities this year for the Playworks Holiday Project. This supports access to increased play opportunities for children and young people in vulnerable communities during the school holidays and provides healthy food/snacks.
In June 2022, the Welsh Government consulted on what action could be taken to improve the food environment in Wales. This included a proposal to rebalance promotions and marketing towards healthier choices to increase the affordability of healthier options, by introducing restrictions on the promotion and placement of foods and drinks high in fat, salt and sugar (HFSS). We have recently launched a new consultation to seek views on the draft Regulations and policy proposals for the intended enforcement approach to these restrictions.