This debate is about the food sector, but what I'd like to talk about first is the effect that the absence of food has on too many people in our society. Because, although the UK is the seventh richest economy in the world, too many households struggle to afford the food that they need to stay healthy, and that has an effect on not just people's physical health, their alertness and strength, but also their mental health, their anxiety, stress levels and mood.

Between 2017 and 2018, 20 per cent of people in Wales were worried about running out of food, and 14 per cent had to run out of food in the first place before they could afford to buy more. These figures, I'm afraid to say, are likely to have increased in recent months because of the effect of the virus on employment levels. We've heard already in this debate about the need to keep supply chains working so that the sector is fit for purpose. We also have to consider the chain effect of supplies not going far enough. One in three children in Wales are living in poverty, and the Trussell Trust gave out 70,393 emergency food parcels in Wales between April and September of this year. Now, I thank the Trussell Trust and their volunteers for what they're doing, but, as my colleague Helen Mary Jones has said, there's something deeply worrying within a society where either foodbanks are being relied on or emergency food parcels are needed. That's why we in Plaid Cymru would provide targeted payments to families living in poverty, introducing a Welsh child payment of £35 a week for the 65,000 children in Wales who are eligible for free school meals.

Llywydd, I've talked here about the most extreme examples, albeit a situation that is devastatingly common—that is, people struggling to afford to eat enough. But, for other households, the issue is more about being able to afford good quality, nutritious food. The Food Foundation has found that 160,000 children in Wales are living in households where a healthy diet is unaffordable. I know that I'm quoting statistics from the report here that's been cited a number of times already in this debate, but 28 per cent of children are obese and 94 per cent don't have access to five portions of fruit and vegetables a day. The problems have been well rehearsed before—cheap and highly processed foods are promoted widely, and I do see—. The Welsh Government's 'Healthy Weight: Healthy Wales' strategy has started to try to address this, but it does address it in a slioed way—the point that Llyr Gruffydd was warning about at the beginning of this debate. It doesn't look at the impact of food marketing and advertising, production or the cost of living. We have to tackle this scourge for the sake of families across Wales. But it goes far wider than this. As this WWF-commissioned report that we've all been quoting says, problems in the food system impact negatively on the environment, on public health and economic well-being, and, crucially, and I quote, they hinder

'our ability to prosper as a nation both now and in the future.'

A well-functioning food system, with a focus on local produce and tight, ethical supply chains, is vital for future generations to safeguard their health, to safeguard their livelihoods, not to mention protecting our planet. But, at present, the global food system is littered with hindrances and as, again, the report says, and I quote,

'dysfunctional production, distribution and consumption practices...endanger health, contribute to the nature and climate emergencies and food insecurity.'

Now, Llywydd, I know I've already mentioned the importance of not looking at tackling food insecurity in siloed ways; the same principle is true for how we should at look at food production. Our food system is integrated across the UK and, through trade, we have links internationally. Now, Jenny Rathbone has set out how this on the one hand presents many challenges because of the prospect of Brexit, and indeed particularly a 'no deal' Brexit, and, indeed, I think that's something that we have to keep in mind in this debate. But, as Llyr had also pointed out, this integrated nature of the system also provides us with an opportunity. Through the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015, we can actually use this to lead the world with food policies that are sustainable and globally responsible.

It's come up, of course, inevitably, in the debate, as with so many issues—the COVID-19 pandemic has made the need for making these changes to our food system even more vital. We've got a chance now to create that system in Wales that addresses the climate and nature crises, that is ethical and builds on our status as a Fairtrade Nation. We can invest in the skills of our communities to support local production of food; we can create a more equal Wales to make sure that every citizen is able to eat healthily. We have this opportunity, Llywydd, to build that system of food production and distribution that meets the needs of everyone without stealing from the tables of future generations—let's use that opportunity now.