Activists demanding lower food prices have occupied the royal dining room at the Palace of Holyroodhouse as part of their ongoing campaign.

Nine protesters entered the Edinburgh palace at about 1.15pm on Monday carrying banners with slogans including “is treasa tuath na tighearna”, which is Gaelic for “the people are mightier than a lord”, and “change begins in the kitchen, not the boardroom”.

The demonstrators from This Is Rigged crossed the barrier, sat at the table, and started eating food out of tupperware and drinking tea from flasks they brought.

The wing of the palace has been temporarily closed to the public, according to the group.

It is calling for supermarkets to slash the cost of baby formula to March 2021 prices and wants the Scottish government to fully fund and bring in a community food hub per every 500 households in Scotland.

Activist Josephine O’Connor said: “I’m taking action because I’m really worried about the future.”

The 22-year-old student, based in Glasgow, added: “As the many crises that we are facing are continuing to worsen, it becomes more apparent that those with power are not coming to help, that profit once again reigns higher than people.

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“This is in our hands. We need to speak up and take up space because it is our future.”

One in four Scots have experienced food insecurity, while 1,000 children per year are taken to hospital with malnutrition, the campaigners claim.

They hit out at supermarkets’ actions in raising prices as an “act of corporate violence”.

Jasmin Robertson, 19, a student and grower from the Highlands, said: “Our food system is something that connects us all, but it has become so fragile in the hands of profiteering corporations.

“It’s time we make space around the table for people, and invest in communities, in a food system that is equal and just, that doesn’t let individuals profit from collective struggle.”

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Sorcha Ni Mhairtin, 30, a community food worker from Ireland and based in Glasgow, said: “Access to good food is a human right.

“The cost of food has risen dramatically, meaning many in Scotland face huge challenges in accessing appropriate food.

“I want the government to take notice and to better fund social infrastructures that support people to access food in a dignified manner.”

The Palace of Holyroodhouse has been contacted for comment.

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