7. Plaid Cymru Debate: Food poverty

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 6:03 pm on 8 December 2021.

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Photo of Sioned Williams Sioned Williams Plaid Cymru 6:03, 8 December 2021

(Translated)

Thank you, Llywydd, and I'd like to thank everyone who's contributed to this afternoon's debate and encourage you to support the motion. It's good to hear from the Minister that the Government will be supporting our motion, because the essence of this motion is that we should aim not only towards creating a more sustainable and fairer food system for our people, but that this should be established as a basic human right and incorporated into policies and activities of Government. After all, what could be more of a fundamental duty of Government to its people than to ensure a right not only to a sustainable food supply which is nutritious and adequate, but also the right to health, and there is nothing more fundamental to health than an adequate supply of healthy food. We heard from Luke Fletcher about the importance of ensuring that the right to food should be an integral part of the education system and that poverty and food poverty impacts children particularly. Heledd Fychan mentioned how the Welsh Government could do more to tackle food waste through, for example, including conditions in economic contracts. And we were reminded very powerfully by Delyth Jewell that this is a very timely debate. It is a time of crisis, as we've heard from many Members here this afternoon, and going without food affects you not only physically, but mentally and spiritually.

Heledd Fychan and Mike Hedges mentioned the use of foodbanks, and Mike Hedges mentioned that this was happening in areas that are considered to be relatively prosperous now. There were some heartbreaking examples of people going without essential food. I was extremely concerned to hear Gareth Davies missing the point of this debate entirely in his contribution by saying that he wants to see foodbanks, and therefore the poverty and the need that makes foodbanks a necessity, continue. He said,