Hundreds of NHS patients have been prescribed fruit and vegetables by GPs
Fresh fruit and vegetables have been prescribed to hundreds of NHS patients in a scheme aimed at tackling the growth of obesity and high blood pressure in low-income households.
Piloted in the London boroughs of Tower Hamlets and Lambeth, the initiative provided vouchers, worth up to £8 per week, for patients living in poverty with chronic diseases and mental health conditions.
Results published yesterday show that after eight months, nine in ten saw improvements in physical health and the number of GP visits among the group nearly halved.
Before the project, just 28 per cent of participants ate the recommended five portions of fruit and veg a day. This has increased to 80 per cent after eight months of receiving the vouchers.
Additionally, 7 in 10 people with high blood pressure saw an improvement, and over half of the participants shared that their mental health has also improved as they worry less about money for food.
The project, led by the Alexandra Rose Charity, demonstrates how the quality of people’s diet improves when support to reduce financial barriers is provided. The charity is now calling for the government to roll out fruit and vegetable prescriptions across the NHS for households on low incomes – and press forward with their existing commitment to pilot a three-year ‘Community Eatwell’ programme.
‘Food-related ill health costs the UK £98 Billion per year in costs to the health service and to the economy. Behind those bald numbers, lies untold misery to the sufferers and their family and carers. All of this is inflicted disproportionately on those living in poverty,’ says Henry Dimbleby, author of the National Food Strategy Independent Review.
‘By taking this one simple action – providing fruit and veg on prescription the government could do so much to assuage that. And now Alexandra Rose Charity has provided the hard evidence, there is no excuse for delay. Their Fruit & Veg on Prescription Project improves not only the diet and health of people but also the health of the local food economy. I urge government to take a look at the impressive results from these pilots and explore how these can be replicated and scaled as part of a ‘Community Eatwell’ approach to tackling food-related ill health in the UK, as recommended in the 2021 National Food Strategy.’
In collaboration with the Bromley by Bow Centre in Tower Hamlets and community health practitioners at the AT Beacon Project in Lambeth, nearly 200 individuals participated in the initiative. One participant receiving Rose Vouchers for fruit and veg shared: ‘Before the Rose Vouchers I didn't even eat fruit because it takes so much out of my money… but now I don't have to spend my cash and I can try different fruit and vegetables.’
Jonathan Pauling, chief executive of Alexandra Rose Charity, added: ‘Food isn’t getting cheaper, healthy food least of all. Our mission is to make it easier for everyone to access fresh fruit and veg in their communities. This is a simple intervention that works.’
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