Hospital hunger strike against quality of food given to children in care

A Victorian mother and chief executive is set to launch a hunger strike outside a Melbourne hospital, planning to go without food for more than a month. This is why.

A Victorian mother will launch a 46-day hunger strike in protest against unhealthy food being served to children in institutional care.

Healthy Australia chief executive Ruby O’Rourke will start the strike outside the Royal Women’s Hospital on New Year’s Day.

She plans to go without food for 46 days — one second for every child aged 14 and under.

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Ms O’Rourke said research from the University of ­Newcastle found the major­ity of services were failing to meet Australian dietary guidelines.

She said an alarming ­number of the 1.4 million ­Australian children in care were at risk of growing up overweight.

“This failure within a Commonwealth government regulated setting is unwittingly increasing the risk of chronic disease burden, including diabetes and cancers,” Ms O’Rourke said.

“I want children to have a healthy 2019.

“We should all be making sure that young children get the best possible start in the first 2000 days of life from a health literacy, health practice and family involvement perspective.”