PIERS MORGAN HORRIFIED BY MEASLY SCHOOL MEALS HAMPER
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Good Morning Britain 's Piers Morgan was left horrified by images of a school meal hamper supposedly worth £15 but contained around £5 worth of food meant to last two weeks.
The pictures have gone viral with footballer Marcus Rashford calling the meals "just not good enough" and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer calling them "woefully inadequate".
Speaking to food writer and anti-poverty campaigner Jack Monroe - who has written in today's Daily Mirror - Piers said: "I have got to say, I found this food parcel story really shocking, it has shone a light on a world that I shamefully am not familiar enough with.
"Which is exactly what is in these food parcels.
"The bottom line is, people are supposed to be getting £30 worth of food for their families, the poorest families in the country, for two weeks.
"This is what one family got, there is an apple, a couple of potatoes, two little tangerines, a bit of cheese a bit of ham, a loaf of bread, five bottles of water and a can of beans.
"That's £5.58 of food, it should have been worth £15, a weeks' worth food for a family.
"Apart from anything else, why are five bottles of water going into a food parcel in a country where you can just turn on the tap?"
Jack replied: "I have no idea to be honest Piers, it's one of the most baffling things apart from seeing tuna and beans decanted into coin bags yesterday.
"The bottles of water, because as you say, you can turn on the tap and get water out, and that's one of the most expensive things in the parcel."
The show's producers then used the same funds to put together a far more nutritious and varied food parcel.
"That's what people should be getting," said Susanna Reid. "Why are companies sending out these meagre portions?"
© ITVJack Monroe pointed out some of the most expensive items were the needless bottles of water
The guests debated whether the hampers should be scrapped and parents given vouchers instead, but Piers aired concern that they would be misused.
Jack replied that when these vouches existed before, they were not able to be used on any age-restricted products, such as cigarettes and alcohol, and so could not be misused in this way.
* Good Morning Britain airs weekdays on ITV at 6am