• New research from Arla reveals that childhood hunger could lead to an estimated shortage of 455,000 missing doctor and nurses by 2043 due to missed potential

• This is due to an estimated 4 million children going to school with an empty stomach in the UK, which puts them at a disadvantage in learning and achieving their goals

• Missing meals due to food insecurity can leave children too hungry to concentrate, with GCSE attainment lagging two grades behind in children who report rarely eating breakfast

London, 6th November 2023: Unless child hunger is addressed, the UK could experience a shortfall of nearly half a million doctors and nurses by 2043, according to new research from the UK’s largest dairy cooperative, Arla.

Four million children who arrive to school with an empty stomach are at an immediate disadvantage in learning and achieving their goals, which means the UK could face a future shortfall of 455,000 doctors and nurses, 413,000 veterinarians and 289,000 teachers.

By the age of eleven, most children (77%) have already decided what they want to be when they grow up. Most of their dreams – including doctor or nurse (11%), professional athlete (12%), vet (10%), teacher (7%) or scientist (6%) – require top grades to achieve.

However, the highest grades can be out of reach for children experiencing daily hunger, which can significantly impact their concentration, behaviour and ability to learn. Research suggests that grades can be directly affected by whether a student has eaten breakfast or not, with GCSE achievement lagging two grades behind in students that reported ‘rarely’ eating breakfast.

Top ten dream jobs (children aged 4 – 11)

1 Athlete

2 Doctor or nurse

3 Vet

4 Police officer or detective

5 TikTokker/YouTuber

6 Teacher

7 Scientist or inventor

8 Pop singer

9 Artist

10 Firefighter

Arla’s research also found that the majority (84%) of parents notice changes in their child’s behaviour when hungry, including becoming more irritable (44%) and less able to concentrate (16%).

Dr Simon Moore, Behavioural Science Expert, explains: “On an empty stomach, our body produces a specific hormone called Ghrelin, where high levels have been linked to shorter levels of attention span. For children, this feeling of hunger can provide a shift from longer term concentration in school to distracted and less tolerant behaviour. This could have potential implications on a child's ability to focus, therefore providing a barrier to learning and reaching their true potential.”

Free breakfast clubs can help close this gap, providing school children with the nutrition they need to thrive in classes and achieve their potential. But according to the sample of parents surveyed by Arla, fewer than one in five (18%) parents could access a free breakfast club at school, with others needing to pay to use the service (50%), unsure what was on offer (13%) or saying there was no breakfast club in their school (19%).

As a result, only 13% of parents sent their child to breakfast club every school day, despite an estimated quarter of children experiencing food insecurity.

Arla is working with the charity Magic Breakfast to help ensure that no child in the UK is too hungry to learn. In the last three years, the dairy cooperative has provided Arla Cravendale milk for more than 8.5 million bowls of Magic Breakfast morning cereal. As part of the partnership, together they’re calling on the nation to learn more about the issues surrounding morning hunger to help re-write the future for the next generation and ensure every child facing food insecurity has access to a free breakfast.

Lucy Norman, Primary School Teacher at Campsbourne Primary School, said: “The sad reality of being a teacher is seeing children starting at a disadvantage because they’re hungry, which immediately impacts their ability to learn. I have unfortunately seen firsthand the impact of the empty tummy disadvantage. Children that are hungry are often less able to concentrate and keep engaged in lessons, which has knock-on effects on their learning development. Free breakfast clubs help close the gap and give all kids a fair chance to succeed, so the more we can do to make them widely available across the UK, the better.”

Catriona Mantle, Head of Milk at Arla, said: “No child should have to attend school on an empty stomach; however, we know this is sadly the reality for many children in the UK. At Arla, we believe in closing the hunger gap and the importance of ensuring healthy and nutritious dairy is available to all. Together with Magic Breakfast we are raising awareness of the Empty Tummy Disadvantage and encouraging as many people as possible to add their voices in #BackingBreakfast.”

Arla and Magic Breakfast have worked together since 2020 and donated enough Cravendale milk to fill more than 8.5 million cereal bowls. Together they are raising awareness of the issues surrounding morning hunger to help re-write the future for the next generation. To find out more about Arla and Magic Breakfast’s partnership and sign-up to support visit https://www.arlafoods.co.uk/food-for-thought/arla-and-magic-breakfast.

NOTES TO EDITORS

For more information, please contact the team at Arla.UK@hkstrategies.com

About Arla Foods:

Arla Foods is a global dairy company and cooperative owned by around 9,000 dairy farmers; approximately 2,100 of them are British. With production facilities in 11 countries and sales offices in a further 30, Arla is the world’s fifth largest dairy company and largest supplier of organic dairy products. Arla has a total of more than 18,000 colleagues and its products are sold under the well-known brands Arla, Lurpak and Castello in more than 100 countries.

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