KNOWSLEY Council has criticised government food parcels for not providing enough nutrition for vulnerable people being shielded from the coronavirus.

The local authority said the packages supplied to the local authority included large bottles of cordial and packets of Angel Delight, but fell short in both quantity and nutritional quality and had to be topped up with supplies from the local foodbank.

After receiving the packages, council leader Graham Morgan tweeted: “Unfortunately neither the quantity or nutritional quality was ideal. 

“Staying well is essential for everyone during the pandemic – especially our most vulnerable. So @knowsleycouncil will be stepping in to boost these packs.”

A council spokesperson added: “The food which we did receive include items such as five litre bottles of cordial and packets of Angel Delight which offered little nutritional value and in some cases are just not suitable for many of these vulnerable individuals. 

“Nutrition and eating the right kind of food is absolutely crucial for such vulnerable people at this time, who may be quite frail or living with underlying health conditions.

“Working with Knowsley Foodbank, we have been able to use some existing stocks to top up these packages with items such as pasta, pasta sauce, tinned vegetables and soup and I am pleased to say that these will be going out to our most vulnerable residents today.”

The spokesperson added that the situation had been further complicated by Knowsley having 200 more people in need of shielding than the government initially estimated and delays in the delivery of personal protective equipment to the council.

Knowsley CCG’s chief executive Dianne Johnson said she could not comment on the numbers as the process of identifying the vulnerable was not expected to be completed until next week. 

Other councils have also expressed concern about the quality and quantity of the food received from central government.

Rochdale Council’s leader has Allen Brett has been involved in a war of words with communities secretary Robert Jenrick after the council received a similar delivery to Knowsley’s.

The government has said these parcels were only intended as an emergency stop-gap for people who needed food urgently while the national scheme got going.

A government spokesperson said: “We are delivering food boxes directly to the homes of extremely medically vulnerable people, at the highest risk form coronavirus.

“Our food boxes include cereal, fruit and vegetables and pasta. As much as possible, this is a package that is universally suitable, and will provide enough food for one person for one week.

“Councils have been issued with some additional supplies to help kickstart their wider efforts – but these should not be confused for a food box.”

By Chris McKeon, Local Democracy Reporter