Former Children’s Commissioner to lead youth charity’s board

Youth activism charity Bite Back, which campaigns to improve access to healthy and affordable food, has appointed former Children’s Commissioner for England Anne Longfield as its chair of trustees.

She stepped down as children’s commissioner after six years in the role in 2021 and is currently chair of the Commission on Young Lives, which is developing policy to support vulnerable children.

Among her priorities at Bite Bank will be to help launch a new brand and to call on politicians and food industry to do more to protect children’s health.

"I have been an admirer of Bite Back since the very beginning and am delighted to be able to give my support to such an important cause,” she said.

“It is the talent, bravery and commitment of all the young people involved that make Bite Back a unique and special organisation and I look forward to doing what I can to make certain the voices of those young people are heard by power."

Longfield is also a former chief executive of the charity 4Children. She led the charity, which ran dozens of Sure Start Children’s Centres for 20 years until 2015. The following year the charity was forced to close amid financial problems.

At Biteback she replaces Corinna Hawkes, who has moved to Italy and is now Director of Food Systems and Food Safety Division for the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

"We are delighted that Anne is joining Bite Back as our new chair,” said the charity’s chief executive James Toop.

“She has been a champion of young people's voices and their rights and supporter of Bite Back since we launched four years ago.

“As we start the next chapter of our strategy, our young people, team and Board are excited about working with Anne to have a greater impact by helping more young people have a voice to make the food system healthier and fairer."