Healthy food prices rise twice as fast as junk food, study finds

Healthier food prices in the UK have risen at twice the rate of less nutritious options over the past two years, a study has found. According to the Food Foundation’s annual Broken Plate report, food lower in fat, salt, and sugar now costs more than twice as much per calorie as less healthy alternatives.

Researchers also revealed that the most deprived fifth of the population would need to allocate 45 per cent of their disposable income to afford a government-recommended healthy diet, rising to 70 per cent for households with children.

While this figure has dropped from the peak of the cost-of-living crisis in 2021-2022, when the most deprived households required 50 per cent of their income, it remains higher than last year’s 43 per cent, BristolLive reports.

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The study found that over a third (37%) of supermarket promotions on food and non-alcoholic drinks are for unhealthy products. Meanwhile, fast-food outlets make up a quarter (26%) of all food retailers in England, rising to nearly one in three in the most deprived areas.

Advertising trends also reflect this imbalance, with more than a third (36%) of food and soft drink marketing spend going towards confectionery, snacks, desserts, and sugary drinks, while just two per cent is allocated to promoting fruit and vegetables.

Children across all income levels are consuming significantly more unhealthy food than recommended for good health. However, the impact is disproportionately felt in lower-income households, with children in the most deprived fifth of the population nearly twice as likely to be living with obesity by their first year of school compared to those in the least deprived fifth.

People from deprived backgrounds are significantly more affected by type 2 diabetes, with those in the most disadvantaged fifth of the population nearly three times more likely to undergo a lower-limb amputation than those in the least deprived group in 2022.

The disparities extend to children's health as well. By their final year of primary school, children in the most deprived areas were more than twice as likely to suffer from tooth decay in their adult teeth (23%) compared to just 10% in the least deprived areas.

Anna Taylor, executive director of the Food Foundation, said, “The Broken Plate report sadly shows that our food system is failing to provide large swathes of the population with the basic nutrition needed for them to stay healthy and thrive. There is a tragic imbalance in the UK between the food that is marketed, available and affordable, and foods that are healthy and sustainable.

"Often it is the most vulnerable children in our society who suffer the worst consequences of this. Not only can lack of nutrition lead to serious health conditions, it can also lead to children being unable to concentrate in school and have lasting negative impact on mental health, entrenching inequalities from a young age.

"The Government has recently announced that it has started working on a National Food Strategy. We hope that this will be seized as an opportunity to tackle these inequalities through cross departmental working, with acknowledgment that key changes to the food system can help to achieve Labour’s missions, from economic growth, to breaking down barriers to opportunity to relieving pressure on the NHS.”

Henry Dimbleby, the former government food tsar and author of the last National Food Strategy, said: “This report couldn’t come at a more critical moment. As the government rolls out its new food strategy, addressing the incentives that drive the sale and aggressive marketing of unhealthy foods must be a top priority. The human and economic toll is too great to ignore any longer.”

Professor Susan Jebb, chairwoman of the Food Standards Agency, said: “I’m very pleased to welcome the publication of the Food Foundation’s new Broken Plate report. We need to find ways to deliver safe, healthy, sustainable food as the default across the food system.

"If we can reshape the food environment, I feel confident we can improve people’s experience so that everyone – whatever their circumstances, can get the physical and mental nourishment that comes from good food.”

Minister for Food Security and Rural Affairs Daniel Zeichner said: “The Food Foundation’s Broken Plate report highlights important issues with the UK’s food system, with unhealthy diets driving obesity levels.

“That is why we will introduce a cross-Government food strategy to ensure our food system can continue to feed the nation, realise its potential for economic growth, protect the planet, and nourish individuals.

“We cannot do this alone, which is why we are working with those across the food sector, utilising their expertise, to transform the industry for good.”

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